


I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day (With My Girl)

by brightsee



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Single Mom!Darcy Lewis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:27:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 66,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightsee/pseuds/brightsee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just supposed to be a regular mission: defeat the doombots that terrorized the city. So how did Steve Rogers get roped into helping deliver a baby? Things don't always turn out as expected, especially when the woman turns out to be a friend of Thor and moves into the avengers tower. </p><p>The story of how Steve Rogers become friends and something more with Darcy Lewis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. welcome to the world

Captain America stood amongst the rubble that was New York City, hazardous pieces of metals of destroyed doombots lying defeated on the streets. He looked around, ensuring the safety of civilians, the com coming to life in his ear. 

“Evac in one minute, Cap, meet you on the corner,” Hawkeye rumbles, the soft hum of a quinjet overhead. 

He’s already slung his shield up onto his back, striding away from the mess of Dr. Doom when he hears a string of curses and heavy breathing. Captain America slowly pauses, not quite done with his duty to serve and protect the American people like he thought he was. He’s tired from a long and hard fought battle with robot octopuses that spit out acid that he was tempted to leave it for the rescue crew that swept in after the avengers. 

“Jesus fucking christ, shit, that really hurt,” a breathy voice curses. He pauses his movement, turning to the sound only a few blocks away and sets off towards the direction in a run. 

“Hold off on evac, there’s a distressed civilian,” he calls out into the comm. 

“Fuck, kid you’re early with literally the worse timing, we’re in the middle of a robot invasion!” The woman exclaims, just as he rounds the corner and sees the woman crouching down with her hands clasped around her extended stomach. 

“Ma’am?” He questions quietly, walking into the alley slowly and carefully. 

She looks up, a mess of brown curls framing her face and eyes wide behind thick framed glasses. There’s a pinch in her forehead, her lips twisting up from the pain of what he believes is a contraction. He hovers around the entrance of the alley, unsure and frozen in place. When the pain passes, she pants out: “Don’t just stand there, take me to a goddamn hospital.”

He’s aware of his uniform, covered in oil, as he holds onto Captain America, needing his second identity to get him through this. In his younger days, circa 1930’s, he’s seen a few births but not enough should he have to deliver a baby himself. He’s at her side in a heartbeat, helping her stand up straight, her hand clasped firmly in his and squeezing tight. 

“Ma’am if you can just hold on, there’s a helicarrier on it’s way and we can get you some help.”

“Fuck that noise, I’m not going anywhere near those jackbooted thugs!”

He looks down at her confused and uses his best Captain America voice, “Ma’am-”

She’s having none of it, cutting him off with a glare so sharp and icy that he doesn’t even attempt to finish his sentence. “There’s a hospital two blocks from here, we’re walking.”

“Captain, what’s your twenty?” 

“Taking a detour, there’s a hospital around the corner,” he answers, slowly making their way out onto the deserted and desolated street. 

“10-4,” Hawkeye replies, and he watches in the distance as the helicarrier hovers over the skyline before making it’s way back to the tower.

The woman eyes the helicarrier, then him. “Yeah, don’t look at me like that. Since New Mexico there is no way I’m trusting you guys. Four years later and I still don’t have my IPod back.”

“‘You guys’?”

“SHIELD,” she explains, waving her hand around in gesture. 

“We’re not SHIELD anymore, we’re our own entity.”

She perks a brow, clearly not believing it. “Yeah, I’m not stupid, Captain. I know things.”

“It’s Steve Rogers, Ma’am.”

“Darcy Lewis,” she greets, giving his hand in hers a quick squeeze in welcome. 

Steve pulls off his cowl, tucking it in the back pocket of his uniform. It’s a little awkward as they hobble to the hospital, but the building is within view, it’s just managing to close that distance. If he really wanted to, he could just lift her up into his arms and carry her the rest of the distance but he really wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. 

“You’re familiar with SHIELD?” he finally settles on, breaking the silence that had momentarily settled over them. 

“Long story,” she grits out, hand clamping down on his. “Contraction,” Darcy explains, breathing heavily. 

“Ma’am, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to carry you the rest of the distance.”

She takes a minute to work through the contraction, breathing heavily before straightening back up and letting up on her grip. “Yeah, sure, good idea.”

Steve gently sweeps her into his arms in a bridle carry and rushes them the remaining block and a half to the hospital. It was surprisingly untouched, though the emergency room was buzzing with patients. With him still in his uniform, he’d managed to get Darcy right up to labour and delivery, her contractions now only five minutes apart. 

Once she’s settled in a private room (only the best for the Captain) and has seen a doctor and is ready, he makes his goodbye. Only, when he enters her room she’s crying and looking miserable. Steve awkwardly walks into her room, hovering beside the bed and shifting his weight. He reaches out, clasping a solid hand around her shoulder for comfort. 

Darcy startles and jumps out of his reach. “I’m sorry,” she says, wiping at her cheeks. “I just really don’t want to do this alone.”

He pulls up a chair, carefully sitting down on it. “What about the father?”

“Deadbeat. And I called my best friend, who I’m supposed to be visiting but she’s not answering her phone. No parents, no friends, my life is a fucking disaster.” She’s staring down at her hands clasped firmly over her bump, then shyly looks to him. “Will you stay?”

She looks so small and upset, her blue eyes bloodshot. He knows he can easily walk away, give her an excuse but he really doesn’t have the heart for it. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Darcy perks up considerably. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He gives her a small smile and goes to find a nurse and hopefully get a change of clothes. Then he makes a few calls, mainly to his team to let them know where he is and not to worry. There’s just a woman who doesn’t want to be on her own and he’s taking it upon himself to keep her company and makes sure she’s safe. There’s a joke in there somewhere for Tony but Steve promptly hangs up, not wanting to hear it. 

When he returns to Darcy’s room, she looks up at him with gratitude. Her hand is out for him to grab onto, which he does once he takes his place in the chair beside her bed. “We’ve got probably a few more hours and this is really weird because you’re a stranger and also Captain America? I think we should play twenty questions and make it less awkward.”

A slow smile spreads across his lips at her rambling. “I’ll start.” She seems relieved, and he pulls his chair closer to the bed and begins. “Where were you born?” 

“Wisconsin; a small town in the middle of nowhere.” There’s a brief moment of sadness at the mention of her mother but she pushes forward. “I already know all about Captain America, let’s see who Steve Rogers is. Favourite memory?”

 

“Meeting Bucky. We were eight and some kid was picking on a girl and I stepped in and got my ass kicked instead. Bucky stood up for me, made a sarcastic remark, and we’ve been friends ever since.” Easy and simple. “What’s your favourite memory?”

“Christmas at the cabin with my whole family while it was still intact.” There’s a contraction, she pauses, breathes through it and mutters curses under her breath. It passes and she’s smiling up at him as if nothing happened. “Favourite book?”

“Huckleberry Finn. Favourite colour?”

Darcy laughs. “Black.”

“Black’s not a colour.”

“How is it not a colour?”

“It’s a shade,” he explains. “Second favourite colour?”

Darcy smirks. “Still black, buddy, nice try.” 

They continue like that for the next hour, alternating questions and pausing when a contraction hit. He feels like he knows her pretty well, even if they’ve skirted around the serious things like SHIELD and the avengers. She doesn’t ask about the Captain America things and he doesn’t ask about her family, both obvious sore subjects. 

She keeps trying to call her friend but there’s never an answer, which Darcy explains doesn’t mean much. Jane’s always busy and never has her phone on her. This trip was kind of sprung on the other woman, so Darcy doesn’t really blame her if she’s missing. Then she smiles at him, white teeth and shining eyes, as she says that she’s happy she has him and Steve really doesn’t see himself leaving her side any time soon. 

The nurse comes in periodically, checking vitals and the baby’s heart rate. When the contractions are closer together and she’s fully dilated, that’s when they get the show on the road. Steve stands at Darcy’s bedside watching all the activity, the doctor rushing in and nurses setting up equipment. 

Darcy tugs at his hand, which is surprisingly still in her grasp throughout their time there. He closes the distance, squatting down by the bed so they were eye to eye. Steve notices the unshed tears, the panic and fear floating behind her eyes. “I’m really scared, Steve.”

He pushes a sweaty strand of dark hair off her forehead and gives her hand a squeeze of reassurance. “You got this, doll. I’m going to be right by your side, alright?”

“Don’t leave.”

He chuckles under his breath, “I ain’t goin’ anywhere, I got you.”

“Are we ready?” Dr. Sanchez questions from between Darcy’s legs, causing the two to separate. 

Darcy nods, determined. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Steve stands again though hunched over, one hand in Darcy’s and the other around her shoulders to help her sit up for when she pushes. “Alright, Darcy, when you’re ready during your next contraction you can start pushing.” 

Steve wasn’t sure about this whole childbirth thing. Honestly he thought it’d take a few hours at most, but they’d already had been in there for four hours and the pushing part took another hour. Darcy was in so much pain and he wasn’t really surprised by all the curses she was huffing out as she pushed. Steve’s hand was cramping underneath the pressure but he whispered encouragements into her ear, telling her how well she was doing. 

Darcy wasn’t yelling or screaming, no matter how much pain she must be in. “You’re doing so well,” he whispers into her ear. 

“The baby’s crowning, Darcy, keep pushing you’re doing great!” The doctor encourages from her perch at the end of the bed.

“Keep going, Darcy.”

She clenches down, pushes and then finally, finally, Darcy sags against the pillows as a cry fills the room. “It’s a girl!” Dr. Sanchez tells the room. 

There were exclamations of joy and happiness, but the baby wasn’t handed over to Darcy like Steve expected. Instead, the nurses cut the cord and courted her off to the side to do their measurements. Steve couldn’t help but look over to the side of the room towards the baby, who was still crying and being fussed over. The doctor helps Darcy get cleaned up, finishing off the rest of the birthing process, and just as soon as the baby came, she was being taken away. 

The room is empty again, Darcy slumps back in the bed with her eyes closed. The birth is over with and Darcy still hasn’t seen her baby, he briefly wonders if this is proper order when he realized it’s been close to an hour. Steve’s probably overstayed his welcome but he can’t find it in himself to leave, feeling like Darcy still needs him. 

“I can hear you thinking,” she mutters under her breath, rolling her head to look over at him. Her eyes are half lidded, dark circles under her eyes. 

“They haven’t brought the baby in yet, it’s been an hour. I’m not good with this stuff but that doesn’t seem like proper protocol.”

Darcy chews on her lip, looking down at her lap as she picks at the ends of her blanket. “I asked them not to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she admits, a curtain of dark hair tumbling around her face. She looks up at him, pushing it out of her eyes and her blue eyes are shining with unshed tears. “She’s three weeks early, I still had time to make my decision. I was going through adoption agencies, looking for a new apartment, trying to get things in order. I had a plan.”

She takes a shaky breath, fighting back the tears. “I’m twenty-four, single, no family. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I had time to decide, Steve. I’m so confused, I want to keep her and love her but what if I mess up? What if I’m a bad mom?”

Steve really doesn’t know what to say to that but all he could do was reach out and place his hand on top of hers, offering what comfort he could. “I think that if you’re already concerned about providing the best for her than you’ll make a great mom.”

Darcy chuckles lightly, wiping away a stray tear. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough, can see you’re a strong and capable woman. You had a baby with no help, were dead set on walking to the damn hospital even if it killed you. I understand this is a hard decision but I think you’ll be missing out if you give up so easily,” Steve says quietly, hand reaching out and holding it out for Darcy to latch on to. 

“I need Jane,” she states, her eyes flying down to the phone that lays untouched beside her. “She always knows what to do, why isn’t she answering her phone?” 

It seems like the whole day, robot invasion and the birth, takes a toll on her and suddenly she’s crying. Her shoulders are shaking violently as she folds in on herself. Steve jumps up, perching on the side of her bed and pulls her into his arms. They’ve known each other for less than a day and that’s brought them closer, a certain understanding that no longer makes them strangers. 

There’s a knock on the door and Darcy pulls away from him slowly, blinking back tears. A slim women enters the room, Dr. Jane Foster, he places immediately. He’s Thor’s girl and someone he’s talked to only a handful of times in passing through the tower. “Darce? What happened?”

As Jane steps into the room, Steve gets up from the bed. “I’m gonna go grab a coffee.”

Darcy nods and Steve watches as he moves out of the way and Jane steps into the room. Dr. Foster takes his place on the bed, wrapping Darcy up in her arms just as Steve had done and soothes the other woman. He hears Darcy explain everything, from the beginning, and feels like he’s intruding on a personal moment so he slips out of the room. 

Steve makes his way down the hall, right to the nurses station which is across from the nursery. He stands at the glass window and looks in. There’s a dozen babies or so and he looks for the one that says “baby girl Lewis”. She’s in the first row, just a small little thing wrapped up in a white blanket and pink hat. Her nose is scrunched up like she’s about to cry and his heart restricts in his chest. Steve reminds himself that Darcy is a stranger and this baby might not be going home with her, and forces himself to move away from the window.


	2. welcome to the family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the mad love, all the comments and kudos mean so much. This is my first avengers fic and I'm so scared to get any details wrong (thanks shelby for helping me out). This isn't Aou compliant and set around april 2015. Short chapters mean quicker updates, though they will probably get longer. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy this chapter

Steve sets out to find the cafeteria, grabbing a coffee and a muffin. He doesn’t go back to the room but waits at least a half hour to give the two women their privacy. When he does return, it’s to Darcy holding a small bundle in her arms and Jane staring down with a small smile on her face. Darcy’s staring down with wonder at her baby and Steve feels his heart flutter at the sight. 

He knocks on the door, breaking the spell that was held over the room. Darcy flicks her gaze up to him and smiles, “Hey!”

“Hey,” he greets. “What do we have here?”

“This is Jane Foster, my old boss lady,” Darcy smirks and Jane rolls her eyes. “Jane, this is Captain America.”

“We’ve met, nice to see you, Steve, thanks for helping Darcy out.”

“It’s really not a problem,” he replies, moving into the room and getting a better look at the baby in Darcy’s arms. 

“Steve, meet Avery.” 

The baby is all chubby cheeks, small pouty lips, and a small patch of dark hair on the top of her head. “She’s beautiful, Darcy.”

“I think she has my nose,” she notes, finger stroking Avery’s cheek. “Jane offered me a job and a place to stay. We’re going to make it work, give her all the love and safety she deserves.”

“We’re a family, Darce, after New Mexico and London, you know I’ll take care of you both and make sure you have everything you need,” Jane vows. 

Darcy doesn’t tear her eyes away from Avery, looking a little unsure. “Are you sure Stark’s gonna want a baby in his tower?” 

Jane waves her hand, dismissing the thought. “He’d have to come out of his lab first to notice.”

Steve relaxes at the thought of Darcy living in the tower, relief flooding through him. He wasn’t sure if he was growing attached to the woman or the baby, but was happy that both would be taken care of and he wanted to help in any way he could. 

Darcy laughs and rolls her eyes. “Like you’re one to talk, Janey.” 

“Be quiet and let me hold my niece.”

Darcy hands off the baby, who was still asleep, into Jane’s arm. The woman sat down beside Darcy on the bed so the two could stare down at Avery together. Steve sits down beside them in the vacant chair watching the two. It’s peaceful for all of two seconds before Darcy shoots up. 

“I don’t have anything for her!” 

“What?” Jane questions.

“Like diapers and stuff. Outfits. Baby things! Oh my god,” she groans, flopping back against the bed. “I’m a terrible mother already.”

“How about I make some calls and get everything set up for you,” Steve suggests, wanting to help out. 

Darcy raises a skeptical brow, “Captain America shopping for baby stuff? The world is going to go crazy.”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, standing from the chair. He pulls out his phone, “I know someone who can take care of it.”

“I’m really in no position to be passing up help,” she relents. “Make your call, Captain.”

Steve slips out of the room and calls Natasha, who immediately hands over the phone to Pepper, because the redhead doesn’t have a single idea about what babies need. Pepper answers the phone, amusement in her voice. “What can I do for you, Steve?” 

“I was wondering if you could do me a favour?” 

“Is this about Darcy Lewis moving into the tower?” There’s a pause, then she quickly explains. “Jane texted me five minutes ago asking to draw up a contract for a paid internship for Darcy Lewis and that she was moving in temporarily.”

Steve clears his voice. “She’s moving in with her daughter, who was actually just born today. It’s a long story, but could you go shopping for the essentials?”

“I’d love to, Steve. I’ll send over some clothes for both Darcy and the baby. I assume-”

“What baby?” Tony rips the phone away from Pepper before she can finish her sentence. “Did you knock someone up, capsicle?”

Steve sighs heavily. “Not my baby. A friend of Jane’s, she’s staying for a while.”

“Who is this friend that you speak of?”

“Darcy Lewis, she was in New Mexico and-”

“The woman that tazed the God of Thunder?”

“I don’t-what?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he says flippantly. “Did I agree to having a woman and baby added to our little gang of miscreants?”

“I agreed, Tony,” Pepper tells him, clearly still listening to the conversation. There’s a rustle and then Pepper is back on the line. “Tell Darcy I’ll have everything set up for in the Tower by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you, Pepper.”

“It’s been too long since I’ve been able to shop for a baby,” She muses before promptly saying her goodbye and hanging up. 

Steve stares at his phone for a moment, trying to process everything that had happened in the day. It’s growing late, the sun just beginning to set in the sky, but he’s not tired despite the day’s event of robot invasion followed by a delivery. He knows he should go home but he finds himself wanting to stay with Darcy and Avery, his job not quite done yet. 

When Steve returns to Darcy’s room, Jane is slipping out. “I’ll be back in the morning with Thor, the nurse said she and the baby will be discharged then.” Steve nods, then looks into the room then back at Jane. “Do you mind walking me out, Steve?”

“Sure,” he replies, slipping his hands into his pockets and following Jane to the elevator. 

“I just really want to thank you for being there for Darcy today. It means a lot to me.”

“S’no problem, just doing my duty.”

The elevator comes and they both step in, Jane raises her brow and gives him a disbelieving look. “You didn’t have to stay.”

“She asked me to, wasn’t gun’ say no,” he replies, his voice dropping in embarrassment. 

Jane reaches out and gives his arm a squeeze, “I’m glad you were here for her and Avery.” They reach the ground floor and he escorts Jane to the front doors and she turns around quickly and gives him a brief hug. “Thank you, Steve.”

He pulls back and smiles softly down at the tiny woman. “You’re welcome.”

“Don’t be a stranger around the tower,” she winks, and exits the door, slipping into an awaiting taxi. 

Steve heads back upstairs to say goodbye to Darcy before he too makes his descent home. When he enters the room, Darcy is talking softly to Avery who looks to be falling asleep in her arms. He hovers in the doorway, not wanting to intrude while not quite knowing his place. He takes a deep breath and steps in, making enough sound to alert Darcy to his arrival. 

She smiles at him while he takes a seat in the chair. “Do you want to hold her?”

“I’m not-I don’t-I’ve never held a baby before,” he stutters. 

Darcy chuckles and shakes her head, “It’s easy, I’ll help you.” Steve moves the chair closer to the bed so they were at the same level. “Hold your arms out like this and I’ll place her in your arms. Make sure to support her neck, one hand under her bottom.”

Steve nods, eyeing the little bundle in her arms as he adjusts his arms just so. Darcy places the infant into his arms and sits back. It’s the first time Steve gets a look at the little girl and how tiny she looks and feels in his arms. It’s crazy, he thinks, how she’s just a few hours old and doesn’t know any of the dangers of the world. 

“She’s amazing,” he breathes out, unable to peel his eyes away from the baby. She’s still pink from the birth, her lids closed and lips puckered. “Wow.”

“I know, I can’t believe she’s mine and I get to keep her,” Darcy remarks, leaning towards them from the bed. 

“What changed your mind?” He questions, tearing his gaze away from the baby and up to Darcy’s eyes. 

She’s chewing on her bottom lip, a sign he’s noticed that shows she’s nervous. “I don’t have a family, no support system. I finally graduated and had no job options, hadn’t even had a chance to make my next move. Adoption was an option but so was moving in with Jane and she was giving me everything I need. I know that I can provide for her and be a good mom.” 

“I think you can too.”

Darcy reaches out, running her finger along Avery’s cheek. “Besides, how can I resist this face?”

Steve chuckles. “She looks just like you.”

“I hope she gets all the best parts of me.”

He glances back down at the baby, memorizing every feature and holds her close. “Avery,” he murmurs. Then looks up at Darcy. “What’s her middle name?”

“Do you have any suggestions?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you were there through the birth and helped get me to the hospital. You’ve been a big help, Steve, so would you do the honours?”

Steve takes a moment and thinks about a good strong name for Avery. “Margaret,” he says, trying it out together, “ Avery Margaret Lewis”

“I like it.”

“After Peggy Carter,” he adds. 

Darcy smiles, “It’s perfect.”

Peggy had passed away a few months ago and he hadn’t been there to say goodbye. He’d been off looking for Bucky after the fall of SHIELD that he’d been too busy to say one last goodbye. Sharon had called him, delivered the news and the funeral information. Steve made the flight back, stood at the back, and when everyone was gone paid his respects. Giving Avery the middle name seemed fitting in a way, she’ll never have a shortage of female role models. 

“I talked to Pepper, she’ll have everything set up by tomorrow afternoon,” Steve says, remembering suddenly his previous conversation with the woman. 

“Pepper?” Darcy asks, scrunching her brows and then eyes growing wide. “Like in Pepper Potts? CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts?”

Steve chuckles, “The very one and only, Pepper Potts.”

“Holy shit,” she mumbles. “Wow.”

“She was happy to help. So when do you think you’ll be outta here?”

“Tomorrow hopefully. The nurse has been by and helped with everything. How to breastfeed and change diapers and the proper care. It’s a little overwhelming.”

“I’ll be at the tower if you ever need help. Jane’s there, and I know Thor thinks of you as a little sister, they’ll both be willing to help out. You have people in your corner, Darcy, don’t be scared to ask for help when you need it.”

“Thanks, Steve.”

Avery gurgles, stealing both their attention, and begins to squirm. Steve freezes and looks up at Darcy for a hint of what to do. She holds her arms out and Steve transfers the baby over and settles down once in her mother’s arms. “She’s hungry,” Darcy notes and begins to shift around to breastfeed. 

Steve stands, wanting to give her privacy. “I better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow once you’re settled in at the tower.”

He turns to leave but Darcy reaches out and grabs a hold of his wrist, pulling him back around to her. “Thank you for everything today, Steve. You really didn’t have to stay as long as you did, or at all, but you did and I really appreciate all your help.”

“It was my pleasure.” He steps forward and drops a kiss to the top of her head. “Good night, Darcy.” Then runs a hand over Avery’s head, the soft fabric of her hat a contrast to his rough hands. “Good night, Avery Margaret Lewis.”

“Good night, Steve, and again thank you for everything.”

“Anytime, Doll.”

Steve leaves the room and though his day was long, his heart is light and joyful. He’s witnessed a birth, made new friends, and there’s hope for his future.


	3. welcome home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beware this is just a filler chapter so it may be a little slow but it's setting up for some great things to come. Chapters are getting longer as I get back into my grove. Thanks for all the love and support, I love reading your comments. Hope y'all enjoy.

Darcy is let out of the hospital in the late morning following the birth of her daughter. Jane comes to pick her up, bringing a change of clothes for both her and the baby. She has a diaper bag on one shoulder and a car seat at her feet. Jane sports the biggest smile that Darcy has ever seen, even if the woman looks tired beyond belief with messy hair and mismatched clothes. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Jane claims, shrugging as she looks down at the large sweater and yoga pants. She walks over to the clear bassinet beside the bed, pulling Avery out and snuggles the baby into her chest. 

Darcy laughs and shakes her head, “Nice to see you too, Jane.”

“There’s a change of clothes in the bag for you. Do you want to go back to your hotel first and grab your things?” 

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” She replies, sliding out of bed and towards the bag settled on the floor forgotten. 

She pulls out a pair of track pants and sweater, a bra and underwear, placing them on the bed. There’s little pink outfits underneath which grab Darcy’s attention and she pulls them out, holding them up for inspection. All three are onesies with various patterns, one has pink stripes while the other is pink with white hearts. There’s a little pink bow attached to the pink onesie that reads “I’m new here” and Darcy feels her heart melt. 

“God, Jane, these are adorable,” Darcy gushes, holding up the last item for Jane to see. 

“Pepper has good taste. Do you want help changing her?”

“Yes, please!”

Jane places Avery on the vacated bed and unwraps the hospital issued blanket. The pink outfit they chose was a gown for easy access to diaper changes and had little mitts folded to cover her hands. Jane expertly slips the gown on with what appears to be with minimal effort or challenge, Avery blinking up at them with unfocused dark eyes. 

“How are you so good at this?” Darcy questions when Jane is done, taking off the hat and putting on a headband with a bow. 

“I may have stayed up all night doing research,” she admits. “I want only the best for my niece.”

“Janey,” Darcy breathes in disbelief. “What did Thor say?” She pauses, eye growing wide. “Wait, does Thor know?”

Jane chewed on her lip, eyes flicking between Darcy’s curious gaze to the door. “He’s here,” she finally says. “I was barely able to contain him when I told him last night. He wanted to march right down here at one in the morning.”

“Where is he?”

“The gift shop.”

Darcy doesn’t even have the chance to reply because there’s a commotion out in the hall, the sound of a deep, excited voice. He comes bounding into the room moments later, a handful of balloons trailing behind him and an armful of a giant teddy bear. “I come bearing gifts for the mighty newborn niece!” 

Janes' jaw drops. “I said one thing!”

“I could not resist for there are too many options and Lady Avery deserves all of the balloons and stuffed bears!”

Darcy steps forward, taking the teddy bear and giving him a one armed hug. “Thanks, big guy. I’m sure if she could see more than an inch in front of her face then would love them.”

“May I see her?”

“Go ahead, but be careful, she’s only a day old,” Darcy warns, stepping back and taking the balloons in his hand. 

Thor inches forward very slowly toward the baby on the bed, who was swaddled into a fresh floral blanket thanks to Jane. He reaches out, one finger running down the side of the baby’s plump cheek, watching as her lips move and she gurgles. Thor is in awe. 

“May I hold her?”

Darcy smiles and nods. He carefully picks Avery up, holding her close to his chest in the proper hold for an infant. She’s so tiny compared to him, just like Steve, his biceps were bigger than her head. He holds her with absolute care, supporting her neck, and gently rocking her when she stirs. 

“She has a quiet soul,” he notes, gazing down and studying every inch. “A fine babe.”

Jane is on one side, staring up at Thor with adoration in her eyes. Darcy slides up to the other side of him, smoothing down the light brown fuzz of her hair. “Avery, meet your Uncle Thor. Thor, meet Avery Margaret Lewis.”

“Hello, young one,” Thor coos. 

“Margaret?” Jane questions, looking over the baby at Darcy. 

“Steve suggested the name, after Peggy Carter.”

Jane hums, looking down to Avery and smiles. “It suits her. Avery Margaret.”

“A strong name for a strong babe,” Thor agrees. “She will do many great things with a name like that.”

Darcy smiles, watching the couple take in Avery and cooing at her. Thor looks ridiculously attractive with a baby in his arms like that (she’s allowed to appreciate sights like that, alright?) and Jane is swooning. Darcy grabs her own clothes and heads into the attached bathroom to clean up. She just wants to get settled in at her new place and have her baby all to herself and relax. 

When she exits the bathroom, Jane is getting Avery into the car seat. She places the light blanket on top of the carrier to block out the impending sunlight when they step outside. Darcy’s still sore from the previous day’s activities so the nurses bring her a wheelchair to take her down to the awaiting car. 

“We borrowed a Stark car, the driver should be pulling around up front waiting for us,” Jane explains, handing over the carrier to Thor. “Your room is getting set up as we speak. Pepper has amazing connections and was able to get everything you need sent over night.”

“I still can’t believe Pepper Potts had time to even help me get my shit together,” Darcy muses, shaking her head at the very unbelievable thought. 

Jane places a hand on her shoulder and gives a tight squeeze, “You’d be surprised how down to earth she is.”

They take one final look around the room and get the show on the road. Jane pushes Darcy, holding onto the stuffed animal and balloons, while Thor carries the heavy baby carrier. The nurses say goodbye when they pass the station and hand off the necessary documents for Darcy and within moments they’re in the lobby heading towards a sleek town car. 

There’s already an attachment for the carrier in the car and it clips right on without any struggle. Thor is restricted to the front seat while Darcy sits beside the carrier and Jane beside Darcy. Avery surprisingly doesn’t cry throughout the car ride, though she does stare up with her big eyes that easily resemble Darcys. Aside from the birth, Darcy doesn’t think she’s heard her daughter cry once, she’s just so calm. 

“This is crazy,” Darcy whispers, staring down at Avery. “I have a daughter.”

Jane squeezes Darcy’s hand, holding on tightly and smiles. “You’re going to be an amazing mom, Darce.”

“You think so? Because I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Well you’ve taken care of me and Erik for three years, made sure we stayed alive. How’s a baby any different?”

Darcy mulls it over. “You do speak the truth, I was there for every three a.m. feeding and putting you two down for naps. At least there won’t be any destroyers or dark elves trying to kill us all this time.”

“Aye, I agree with m’Lady, you will make an excellent mother! If any harm threatens you or the little one, then they will have me to speak to, for I shall protect both my lightening sister and niece.”

“Thanks, buddy, you’re the best,” she replies, winking at Thor as he’s turned around to look at them over the headrest. 

It’s a quick detour to her hotel. Jane and Thor remain in the car with Avery while Darcy runs up and grabs her things. She had just checked in the day before and was intended to stay for the week, most of her clothes were still in her bag with the room untouched. Darcy grabs her bag and checks out, no need for the room now that she’s going home.

They pull into the underground parking under Stark Tower within ten minutes of leaving the hotel, the driver expertly navigating through New York traffic. Darcy carries Avery in the carrier up the elevator, cursing at the heaviness but refusing Thor’s help and muscles. Jane suggests a tour but Darcy just wants to sleep for the next ten years. 

“JARVIS, floor 73 please,” Jane says and the elevator comes to life. 

“Absolutely, Doctor Foster,” a voice from the ceiling replies. 

It’s strange and sounds very posh, the sudden voice almost making Darcy duck and hide. “That’s JARVIS,” Jane explains. “He’s an AI programmed into the tower and every room available. If you’re lost or have any request for absolutely anything, just ask him and he’ll answer.”

“Just ask him?” Darcy questions, confused and looking up to the ceiling. “He’s going to answer?”

“Yes, Miss Lewis, unless there are privacy protocols in place I am active twenty-four seven and at your service.” The voice replies in a crisp British accent, the damn thing nearly gave her a heart attack. It’s a feature she’s going to have to get used to. 

“Holy shit,” Darcy whispers under her breath. 

The ascent is a smooth ride, painlessly quick. The elevator doors open to reveal just a solid door and small hallway. “We have the whole floor to ourselves. The door is just in place to prevent any unwanted visitors to randomly show up and invade privacy.” Jane easily unlocks the door and ushers Darcy inside. 

“Wow,” she breathes out, taking in the open layout of the apartment. 

There’s a kitchen to her right with all stainless steel appliances and a large island. The windows are floor to ceiling, letting in natural light of the shining sun as it beats down on the city. There’s a wooden dining room table in front of the window, scattered with Jane’s notes. There’s a large sofa on the other side accompanied by an entertainment center with the biggest television Darcy has ever seen. 

Jane gives her a few moments to take everything in. “Let me show you the nursery first.” Darcy nods, unable to take her eyes off the expensive and tasteful arts donning the walls. “It’s right across the hall so the rooms aren’t too far away. We’ve also got state of the art baby monitors with video cameras, although JARVIS would be a help in that area as well.”

“Yeah, that’s going to take a while to get used to,” Darcy states, slowly finding the appeal of the AI. 

Jane leads her down a small hallway, explaining as she goes. “Our bedroom is on the other side, so that we have privacy from any guests,” Jane tells her and Darcy sends her thanks to the heavens or whatever goddess came up with the floor plans (most likely Pepper Potts). Darcy was not a fan of hearing Jane and Thor having sex. 

They pass a laundry room, a linen closet, and a storage closet. Another door opens up into a spare bathroom, occupying a shower, toilet, tub, sink, and enough room to dance around in. Darcy peaks her head inside another closed door, finding a walk in closet and already occupying a few items. There’s various cleaning supplies but what catches her eyes is the stroller, a high end looking one, among other baby odds and ends. She makes a mental note to come back and study it more. 

There’s two set of doors at the end of the hall, one on either side. Jane leads her into the room on the right, a room that is clearly designed as the nursery and it takes her breath away. The walls are a light tan colour, the furniture a dark walnut. There’s a crib between two windows, light blue bedding, and a blue blanket with bunnies on it hanging over the edge of the crib. A bunny mobile hangs over one end of the crib, adding to the bunny theme. On the opposite wall is a changing table, already equipped. A dresser positioned right beside and she walks over to inspect if they too are stocked. They are. 

She sets the carrier down, her arm growing heavy in order to inspect the contents of the dresser. Jane takes the baby out, holding her in her arms, cooing down at the baby who gazes up at her with wide eyes. “Shall we see how she likes her new crib?”

Darcy nods, motioning for Jane to place the baby inside. Avery looks up at them, her limbs moving now that she’s free from any constraints. Darcy swaddles her up, finding a blanket in a drawer of the dresser. Once the baby is drifting back asleep, she sets to investigate the rest of the room. 

The dresser is filled with drawers of onesies of varying colour, organized into different grouping sizes. Another drawer holds blankets, all soft to the touch with a few even being knitted. Another drawer holds dresses and Darcy’s heart melts at the size as she holds a floral one up to inspect. Jane gushes beside her, her science brain melting at the cuteness level of these dresses. The bottom drawer is filled with diapers which makes Darcy laugh after remembering the nurse warning her to stock up. 

In the corner is a wooden rocking chair with white padding, a teddy bear resting on it. Darcy takes a seat, rocking slowly and leaning into the plush cushions and comfortable seating. “This is heaven,” she says, sinking her feet into the plush white rug that spans a majority of the wooden flooring of the room. 

“Wait until you see your room,” Jane teases, pulling Darcy up and out of the rocking chair. She gently picks up Avery from her crib and follows Jane across the hall and into her own bedroom. “Jesus Christ,” she whispers the moment she walks into the room. 

It’s a huge room, bigger than any dorm room or apartment she’s lived in recently. Painted a soft grey, there’s a king size bed in the middle of the room with a white headboard and matching end tables. The sheets are a navy blue, large pillows making it look warm and inviting. Darcy just wants to collapse on the bed and fall asleep but her curiosity is too strong and the room demands to be explored. 

There’s a matching vintage vanity with a large mirror and Darcy already imagines that’s where she’ll be doing her makeup in the morning. Off to the side is a cozy area, a couch and television sectioned off from the room. Jane shows her the large walk in closet which is what dreams are made of, Darcy tries not to drool over all the shelving and space. The bathroom looks like heaven, a common theme of her new home, with a claw foot tub, glass shower, heated tiles and towel rack.

Avery is still tucked in the crook of her arm, the light weight growing familiar, and still asleep. “Wow, I can’t believe Pepper had time to do all this,” Darcy says, stepping back into the bedroom, eyes roaming over the art on the wall. 

“She’s dating Tony Stark and runs a fortune 500 company, the woman is magic,” Jane agrees. 

There’s a little bassinet in the corner of the room which she is thankful for so she won’t be running back and forth between the rooms for the first few months. There’s an iron man plush toy inside, a stark contrast against the white bedding. Darcy suspects it was a last minute addition by a certain avenger, and is slightly surprised there isn’t more avengers’ memorabilia around. 

“Miss Potts has recommended that whenever you are low on items that you simply let me know and I shall put in an order to restock overnight,” JARVIS interrupts. 

Darcy jumps at the intrusion, still not used to the voice from the ceiling. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy places Avery down in the bassinet, her arms growing heavy. She and Jane stares down in complete awe, her hand ghosting over the baby’s tummy. 

“I just love her so much,” Darcy gushes quietly. 

“She’s so precious,” Jane adds, smiling. 

“And all ours.”

Jane leans forward over the bassinet, “I can’t wait to teach you all about quantum physics and astronomy.” 

Darcy snorts, “Let the kid learn to function first.”

With Avery nestled in her bassinet, they move on to study the rest of the room. There’s knitted blanket over the back of the couch, adding a touch of colour. “So you don’t feel obligated to spend all your time with us, a little piece of heaven,” Jane explains when she sees Darcy staring over at the little nook of comfort. 

“Holy shit.” Darcy sitting down on the edge of the bed, the afternoon sun cascading through the large windows and lighting up the room. “I can’t believe I live here.”

“I have to show you my favourite part,” Jane says, tugging Darcy up to her feet and pulling her across the room. 

They stop at the far wall, between the windows overlooking the city, are two bookshelves, something Darcy completely overlooked. On one shelf are children’s books, Darcy noticing a sizable section dedicated to Dr. Seuss. The other book shelf contains classics like Black Beauty and The Great Gatsby, but what really catches Darcy’s eyes are the parenting books. 

She pulls one out and skims through it quickly, “She really thinks of everything.” Jane hums in agreement. “She’s a saint.” 

There’s a knock on the door that startles both women and Thor is standing in the doorway. “Friend Pepper is here to offer her congratulations,” he announces, quickly stepping aside revealing not what Darcy was expecting. Pepper is dressed down into jean shorts and a light t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and looking nothing like the CEO she is during the day. Thor nods, leaving them to their introductions. 

“Congratulations, Darcy,” she says, walking into the room with a bouquet of pink and white roses set in a white wicker basket.

“Thank you, Pepper, for everything. Seriously, I appreciate it all,” Darcy gushes, taking the arrangement from her and setting it on an end table by her bed. She makes a mental note to find a better placement, somewhere far away from where the baby sleeps. 

“It’s not a problem,” she replies, smiling graciously. “I’m happy to help in any way that I can. This was nothing.” 

Darcy looks around the elaborate room that she pulled together in twelve hours. “You’re a goddess. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Darcy holds out her hand in greeting. Pepper shakes it, her perfectly manicured nails standing out against Darcy’s pale hand.

“I’ve heard many great things from Jane, we’re happy to have you aboard as a Stark Industries employee.” Her gaze flicks to the crib and quietly asks, “May I?” 

Darcy nods, “She’s sleeping now so she shouldn’t give you any problems.”

Pepper applies a generous amount of hand sanitizer which she pulls out from the changing tables before gently lifting Avery from her crib. The baby barely stirs but her eyes flutter open as if to study the person holding her and disturbing her from her sleep. Avery is such an easy baby and just wants to sleep all the time, given that she’s only a day old Darcy still thinks she’s all Lewis. 

“She’s precious, Darcy.” Pepper hugs her tight to her body, her nose resting above the baby’s head as she takes a deep breath. “That baby smell,” she gushes. “Enjoy this time while you can, they grow up so fast. It’s been too long since I held a baby, my nephews are little terrors.”

There’s a slight commotion in the hallway and then Tony Stark is bursting into her bedroom. Darcy wants to pinch herself because not only has she met Pepper Potts, her idol and inspiration, but Tony Stark has now entered the picture and he’s Iron Man. Damn, Darcy wishes this was a dream because she’s pretty sure she’s about to embarrass herself. 

Tony gives her a nod, passing both her and Jane, coming to a stop beside Pepper. He scrunches his brows, looking over her shoulder at Avery for a solid minute. “She looks like a potato.”

“She’s a day old, Tony,” Pepper tells him but it’s quickly brushed off.

Tony shrugs, shakes his head, and mutters about how boring babies are before turning on his heel and heading out of the room. Pepper seems unaffected by the sudden appearance but she’s been with the man for a decade so she’s most likely used to his behaviour. Darcy, on the other hand, knows that it’s going to take a long time to be in the presence of avengers and Pepper Potts. 

“I hope this room has everything you need.”

“It’s more than enough, thank you,” Darcy smiles. “Really, you’ve done enough.”

“I’m not done yet,” Pepper replies, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. “I scheduled her two day appointment with one of the best pediatricians in the city for tomorrow. She owed me a favour, and SI’s insurance covers everything, we’ve already got you on the payroll.”

Darcy gapes, “Goddess, I swear.”

“I prefer to go by Pepper,” she winks, amusement in her voice. “I’ve also had someone send out to gather your things from your apartment in Virginia to ship back here.”

“You really didn’t have to do that.”

“This is your home, Darcy, we want you to be comfortable here and having your belongings is a vital piece.” Pepper is stern but comforting, all with a baby in her arms. No wonder she’s able to run a company. 

“Listen to the woman, Darcy,” Jane pokes her ribs with her thin finger causing Darcy to wince. 

“Thank you, Pepper.”

Avery gurgles, a soft cry escaping and has everyone jumping into motion. Pepper quickly hands her off, “I think she’s hungry.” 

Darcy agrees, knowing the last feeding was over an hour ago at the hospital. Pepper makes her leave, promising to drop by later in the week and reminds her that JARVIS is available for anything and at any time. Jane watches Darcy as she moves into the nursery, grabbing a nursing pillow and burp cloth, taking a seat on the rocking chair. She’s still watching as Jane pulls off her sweater, a shirt that is not conducive to breastfeeding. 

When Jane doesn’t move, content to watch Darcy, she gives the other woman a raise of her brow and threatening look. “I love you, Janey, but I need my privacy.”

Jane jumps, shaking her head and blushes. “Sorry. I’ll be down in the labs catching up on work, Thor’s probably doing Thor things. Just holler if you need us.”

“Thank you for everything, Jane.”

She gives a nod and then she was gone. Darcy gets to work feeding her baby, the sensation still new but somewhat natural. She looks down at the soft head with light hair feeling all the love and adoration. It finally sinks in that this is now her life for the next eighteen years, just her and Avery doing their thing. It seemed scary while she was pregnant, being unconfident in her abilities to raise and nurture a child. But now that she has her baby and a home and a family in Jane and Thor she’s excited for the future. 

“Well, kid, it’s just me and you now. Gonna be just us for the next eighteen years so you better get used to it.”


	4. welcome to the tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we get steve and darcy back in this chapter, so that's exciting. I'm planning on posting every friday as I get back into my groove and future chapters I'm working on have grown significantly in length. Thanks for all your comments, I love reading them and you guys keep giving me great ideas! Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this chapter (very little angst at the end).

Darcy comes back from the doctor's appointment exhausted. This was the first official outing of just the two of them, Darcy being the stubborn woman she was refused Jane’s help and company to the appointment. Because Darcy was a new mother she wasn’t prepared and under packed on the diapers and clean clothes. So while Avery was a quiet baby, she had cried the whole drive home in a dirty diaper and Darcy was at her wits end and feeling like a horrible mother.

Darcy just gets inside her bedroom, preparing to clean up and change Avery, when the doorbell for the apartment goes off. Avery cries harder and Darcy curses under her breath. She picks up her stinky baby and gets to the other side of the apartment as fast as she can, yanking open the door. She’s flustered and ready to rip someone’s head off, all while trying to sooth Avery and calm her down, when she looks up to Steve Rogers.

His cheeks grow pink, hands shoved in his jean pockets. “I’m sorry, I can come back.”

“Nah, come in, I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Steve follows her inside, shutting the door beside her. “Rough day?”

“You have no idea and it’s only noon,” Darcy mutters, making her way back to her room to resume her task. Steve doesn't follow her, instead sitting down on the couch in the living room.

Darcy gets Avery cleaned up and changed into a fresh diaper, onesie gown, and swaddled in a clean blanket. Darcy quickly changes, thankful to be back in her own comfortable clothes. Avery had stopped crying but still seemed unsettled and disturbed by her ordeal.

She gathers Avery into the crook of her arm, making her way back to Steve who was patiently waiting. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” he smiles. “Baby comes first.”

“Do you wanna hold her?”

He takes a deep breath, looking down at Avery then up at Darcy. “Sure.”

He reaches out for the sanitizer that Jane had left on the coffee table in front of them, squeezing some onto his hand. Jane had left tiny bottles of sanitizer around the apartment for whoever was handling Avery, germs were not what a newborn needed. She slowly hands the baby over when he’s ready.

“You’re a pro,” she remarks, watching as he easily holds the baby, a little tense but relaxing into holding her to his chest. Avery settles right into the embrace, her eyes fluttering closed in exhaustion and contentment.

“Wanna tell me about your rough morning?”

Darcy shrugs, leaning back against the couch, pulling her feet up so her knees were against her chest. “Not really. Just failing at being a mom. I forgot to pack extra diapers and really wasn’t expecting to be gone that long. She was miserable and I feel so guilty.”

“You’re allowed to make mistakes, it’s only the second day. You’ll figure things out.”

“I know,” she replies, gaze focused on her daughter. “I just hate hearing her cry and being the reason that she’s crying in the first place.”

“Baby’s cry, it’s okay,” he says softly, somehow easing her feelings of guilt.

Darcy sniffles, holding back the tears that threaten to fall. “Who knew Captain America knew so much about babies.”

A small smile appears on his lips, lighting up his whole face and making him look younger. “My mother was a nurse, some women who couldn’t afford to see a doctor would come to our home for her to check on their babies. This isn’t my first rodeo, though maybe the first time holding a baby post serum. They’re a lot smaller than I remember.”

Darcy laughs, feeling much better. Then she remembers he was the one to knock on her door, an unscheduled visit and he most likely didn’t come to listen to Darcy complain about her day. “So what can I do for you?”

“Nothing really, just came to check in. Sorry for not being around yesterday. I had to debrief and then some new information fell into my hands that we’ve been working on,” he explains, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’ll be gone for the next few weeks. I just wanted to make sure you were settling in alright before I took off.”

“We’re good,” she says, reaching out and smoothing out a wrinkle on Avery’s forehead as she begins to scrunch up her nose in displeasure. She relaxes into Steve’s hold, letting out a little bit of air. “Pepper has been amazing setting everything up for us. Jane’s been a huge help and surprisingly Thor has been too.”

“That’s great, Darcy, it’s good to have a support system. So how did her appointment go? Everything alright?”

Darcy huffs out a laugh. “The appointment went fine, Avery’s in perfect health for her age. She lost a few ounces which I was told is normal and the swelling has gone down a little in her eyes and the scratches from her nails at birth have disappeared. New York is a different story, I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, it’s just so busy.”

“I know how you feel,” he chuckles. “It takes some getting used to. Three years living here and I’m still not completely used to the loud noises or the busy streets.”

“Brooklyn in the forties not as busy?”

“Close but I also wasn’t enhanced back then. Sometimes, just walking down the streets it feels like you can’t even breathe. It just feels like everyone is walking on top of each other and the car noises seem loud to sensitive ears,” Steve answers tensely.

“So how do you combat that?” She questions, genuinely curious because even she felt anxious walking through a densely populated street.

“I tend to avoid the tourist attractions, taking extra time walking down side streets instead of the main ones,” he replies, sounding human and not at all like Captain America. “It’s a beautiful city though, you’ll grow to love it.”

“It’s definitely not New Mexico, though I suppose London comes close.”

“I’ve never been.”

“Put it on your list of places to travel.”

He tilts his head. “Will do.” Avery stirs in his arms, drawing both their attention. “How was the first day alone with her?”

“Good,” she smiles, her heart warming with affection. “She’s amazing.”

“Even when she’s screaming and smells like poop?” He smirks playfully.

Darcy laughs and bumps shoulders with his. “Especially when she stinks.” Avery keeps squirming and her lips start moving and Darcy gets the hint. “Time for lunch, right on time.”

Steve relents his hold, handing the baby back over. “I’m not sure when I’ll see you next but I had a gift for Avery.”

“A gift?” She perks, standing up from the couch.

Steve nods, picking up a gift bag from the floor that she hadn’t seen. “Went shopping after my morning run, saw this in the window and thought of Avery. Hopefully, she’ll grow into it.”

She opens the bag and pulls out the stuffed animal for inspection. It’s a floppy plush rabbit, about the length of Avery herself and soft yellow. Darcy melts, holding the little rabbit to her chest, “I love it, thank you, Steve.”

Darcy’s careful of Avery and moves in to give Steve a one armed hug. “I’m sure wherever you’re going and doing is classified but good luck and try to be safe.”

“I’ll try my best,” he replies, smiling down at her. “Try not to be too hard on yourself, you’re doing great.” He reaches out and squeezes her arm. 

Avery lets out a cry of protest and she blushes, “I better feed her. Let me know when your back.”

“Will do.”

Before he leaves he wishes her luck and reminds her not beat herself up over the little things. He says it in almost his Captain America voice which has Darcy wanting to obey and agree with him. Then he says goodbye to Avery, taking a second longer than normal in what seems to take in her features before hopping onto the elevator. Later, she’ll wonder if this is the beginning to a wonderful friendship and concludes that it definitely is.

Darcy spends the afternoon baking, mostly for Pepper and it’s was just supposed to be a batch of cookies and then she decides on lemon bars and carrot cake. While she’s baking there’s laundry going and Avery sleeps in the rock n’ play sleeper in the living room. She’s trying to stay on top of things and not get too stressed, while also trying to have a life outside of taking care of her baby.

Darcy’s about to get dinner ready when the door bursts open, revealing Thor. Jane has miraculously pulled herself from the lab and is sitting on the couch reading a journal on her Stark Pad while Avery sleeps nearby in the rock n play. They both stare up at him from their positions, the man looking like an excited puppy.

“Cease what you are doing, Lady Darcy, we shall have a family dinner tonight in the commons!” He boasts, forgetting he’s in the vicinity of a newborn. That sets Avery into crying, Jane shoots him a glare which he aptly ignores and takes it upon himself to sooth the crying baby.

“Sanitizer!” Jane yells before Thor can pick her up.

He sulks like a damned puppy scolded and applies sanitizer from a bottle held out by Jane. Thor quickly has the baby in his arms and is out the door, holding Avery close to his chest with a pink blanket thrown over one shoulder.

Darcy sets into packing a diaper bag while Jane grabs the carrier sitting at the door, ensuring they have everything they need for making the trip down two floors to the common area. On the way out she grabs a plate of assorted treats she made for dessert, making sure there was enough for everyone.

“This is a lot of work for going two floors down,” Jane notes the moment they're in the elevator.

“I know,” she huffs, looking at their full arms between the two of them. Darcy had already had a tough morning and the last thing she wanted was to be going out again, even if it was two floors down, she just wanted a night in to relax as much as she could. “I didn’t even know the avengers knew how to cook.”

“They don’t,” Jane laughs. “Tony just orders take out.”

The elevator doors open to reveal a very large common area and a group of avengers with Thor in the middle holding Avery out for them to see. It closely resembled the opening scene of lion king, when Simba is held up for the pride to see. Jane looks horrified, Darcy just laughs because he looks absolutely ridiculous.

“My shield friends, I’d like you to meet my niece, Avery Margaret Lewis, daughter of my lightning sister Darcy Anne Lewis!”

The avengers who had been milling about stare over at him, then slowly get to their feet to get a good view of the infant. Hawkeye coos over the baby, one of the few who show interest. Black Widow takes a look then backs away. Dr. Banner smiles and begins to ask Thor questions. Tony doesn’t even move from his spot on the couch where he’s playing with a piece of the suit.

Darcy and Jane set their things at the edge between kitchen and living area. Jane steps forward, tugging Darcy along with her. “This is Darcy Lewis, my intern in New Mexico and London, she’ll be working with me in a few months. She’s staying in our guest room.”

Four sets of eyes turn to stare at her, studying her in their own ways. Tony holds some interest, gaze briefly sweeping over her before going back to tinkering the thing in front of him. Black Widow studies her, eyes sweeping over her body and probably analyzing on whether she’s a threat. Hawkeye, smiles, but it’s Dr. Banner that steps forward and introduces himself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Darcy,” he says, holding out his hand. “Your daughter is beautiful.”

“Thank you, Dr. Banner, it’s nice to meet you as well. You’re a legend at Culver,” she blushes, wishing she could play it cooler in front of the Hulk.

“Please call me Bruce. You went to Culver?”

She nods eagerly, “Political Science, summa cum laude.”

“Impressive. Did you ever have Doctor Perry?”

“Political Science is soft, it’s not even a science,” Tony voices from his spot across the room on the couch, not giving Darcy the chance to answer Bruce’s question.

“If you were a political science major how did you end up interning for Dr. Foster?” Black Widow questions, a slight furrow between her brows but otherwise remaining stoic.

Darcy squirms under her gaze and it’s Jane who answers the question thankfully. “She was down six science credits and the only one to apply to the internship, not too many people wanted to uproot their life for science. Turns out the internship didn’t even count once SHIELD enforced their NDA.”

Black Widow finds that as an acceptable answer and introduces herself. “Natasha Romanoff, it’s nice to meet you, Darcy.”

Hawkeye follows her lead, “Clint Barton, can I hold your baby?”

“No,” Natasha answers before Darcy can say a word. 

Clint just pouts, turning his blue eyes on her in an attempt of a puppy dog look. “Aww, Nat, come on. I’ve been around kids before, they love me.”

“That was for a mission, it doesn’t count,” she replies, staring him down. He backs away silently, hands held up in surrender.

Darcy moves to take Avery out of Thor’s embrace, the baby now fully awake from his loud introduction. Darcy likes to talk, she’s not a quiet person, but it even took a little while for her to get used to how loud Thor can be. It’s unintentional, he has a quiet and soft personality, his voice just carries across open spaces.

Pepper comes sweeping into the common area with a man following her and carrying multiple bags of Chinese food. Darcy’s mouth waters at the smell, forgetting that she hadn’t eaten since lunch earlier. She sets Avery down in her carrier, setting a soft blanket over top to keep her warm. Darcy stays with her, gently rocking until she’s asleep again, thankful that there’s two things her baby loves and that’s milk and sleep.

The common area is set up much like Jane and Thor’s floor. A large open kitchen, a long dining table beside floor to ceiling windows, and an entertainment center as the focal point of the room. There’s a side nook for reading and a small series of bookshelves filled to the rim with books. A pool table is on the outer edge, red felt on the top that resembles the shade of the iron man suit.

Everyone is sitting down at the dining table, take out filling every inch of the surface. Pepper tips the security guard that helped deliver the food and sent him on his way, ushering Darcy into a seat beside Jane. There’s two spots open, one she knows must be Steve’s and guesses the other belongs to the Falcon, a new member to the avengers.

Tony digs in before everyone is seated and that begins a free for all, everyone grabbing at cartons and filling their plates high with food. Conversation flows effortlessly within the group, obvious that they were well acquainted with each other. Darcy feels like the odd man out, her only link was to Jane and Thor, as she struggles to keep up with conversation.

Darcy wants to blame it on her hormones. She had just given birth and knew that everything would be out of whack for a while. She was an outgoing person, always putting herself out there, yet she can’t help but feel out of place and withdrawn. Darcy is startlingly aware that she’s in the presence of the avengers and Pepper Potts, people who have Ph.D.’s, run companies, spies with highly trained skills. Darcy in no way measures up with her degree that took an additional two years to complete. 

Tony is arguing with Bruce about something science related, Jane chiming in with her own knowledge. Clint and Natasha are having a silent conversation across the table, one which Darcy feels is intimate and quickly looks away. Thor is too busy eating, digging in for seconds and thirds. It’s Pepper who starts conversation with her first, asking how the appointment went. Darcy explains her rough morning bringing a chuckle out of the red head before thanking her again for all her help.

“You’re not touching my lab, Stark,” Jane growls out, drawing all eyes on her.

“A little renovations can’t hurt anybody,” he begins to argue but get cut off by Bruce.

“I believe last time they did. My intern was off for two weeks with a concussion.”

“That was one time! And he must not be very good at his job if he didn’t see that low hanging beam. It’s for the good of your research!” Tony argues.

Pepper raises a brow, “you’re not doing any more renovations unless absolutely necessary.”

“The last time was necessary! Bruce and Jane blew out a wall.”

“The time before that definitely wasn’t necessary,” Jane chimes in. “I was out of commission for a month. You know you’re not allowed to step foot in my lab, so don’t.”

“You all need to live a little, loosen up,” Tony mumbles, settling back in his chair.

Pepper pats his arm in sympathy. Darcy just feels lost in the conversation, knowing there are things she wasn’t there for and Jane hasn’t filled her in on. She ducks her head down, continuing to finish off her plate trying to hide that she’s uncomfortable. When everyone is finished, Darcy helps Pepper clear off the table. 

Darcy places the tray of desserts on the table and watches in slight amusement as everyone fights over them. Pepper didn’t disappoint, placing a crispy and delicious looking apple pie on the table. Thor grabs two slices, the others grab only one not having quite the appetite as the god of thunder himself. 

“It’s a shame Captain ‘Murica isn’t here, apple pie is his favourite. Gotta be patriotic an all,” Tony remarks through a mouthful of pie.

“Did Cap really help you give birth?” Clint questions. Natasha must have kicked him under the table because he yelps, rubbing at his shin. “What? It’s a serious question!”

Darcy shrugs, “Yeah, he was there.”

“How grossed out was he? Did he get all flustered and blush?” Tony chimes in with his own questions. Pepper pinches his arm making him jump and scowl at his girlfriend.

“Nope,” she replies. “He was kind of perfect through it all, calm and composed.”

Tony leans forward, fully interested in this new subject. “On a scale of one to ten, how much did it hurt?”

“How about we save these questions for times when we’re not eating dessert and situated around a dinner table,” Pepper breaks in, halting the conversation from the disastrous turn it took.

Avery begins to cry from her perch a few feet away and sets Darcy into motion. She ignores the stares, knowing they’re watching her and she doesn’t know if it’s out of interest or annoyance. It’s only a diaper change but she knows that it’s time for her next feeding. Darcy looks over at the group of avengers and doesn’t feel comfortable breastfeeding or changing a dirty diaper in front of them. She picks up the diaper bag and slings it over a shoulder, then picks up Avery in the carrier.

Darcy knows it’s rude to leave without goodbye, so she hovers at the edge of the dining room where the others are still seated and eating dessert. “Dinner was lovely,” she says, cringing internally. “Thank you for having me but we really should be going.”

Jane frowns, jumping up from her seat, concern written all over her face as she follows Darcy to the elevators. “You’re leaving?”

“She needs a change and she’s hungry.”

“You can do that here.”

Darcy grimaces, offering Jane a small smile. “I’d rather do that up in the comfort of my own room.”

Jane understands what she’s trying to say and it’s clear she wants to argue for her to stay. “Will you come back after?”

“I’ve had a long day, I think once I get her down I’m going to try and get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?” She’s looking at Darcy with big doe eyes that are hard to resist.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Do you need any help? I can come up with you and we can turn on a movie?”

Darcy sighs, shaking her head. She just really wants to be alone, the days events taking a toll on her body and emotions. “I’m good, Jane, you get back there and relax.”

She ignores Jane’s pleading eyes and sends her back to the table. Darcy retreats form the common floor, feeling guilty for leaving right after dinner was served. All she wanted at that moment was to feel an ounce of comfort and security. It felt like she didn’t belong on the common floor, like she was an intruding on their family dinner. The feeling was irrational and Darcy’s going to blame the insecurities on her hormones for now.

She focuses on Avery, cuddling her to her chest and rocking slowly on the rocking chair. Darcy’s exhausted but the feel of her daughter nestled into her chest made all the worries and thoughts float away, and allows herself to relax. This is her new home and it's going to take a while to get used to the fact she lives among the avengers but all Darcy wants to focus on is getting settled in and taking care of her daughter.


	5. let me help you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's bring on the bigger and more darcy/steve chapters! Now that everything's set up, we can really get into the story. Thank you all for the kudos and comments, I love reading your thoughts and they give me lots of ideas. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

Steve returns back to the tower empty handed. They hadn’t even come close to finding Bucky, only destroyed former Hydra cells which had been cleared and still warm with dead bodies. Sam promises they’ll keep looking and not to give up. Steve can’t help but feel defeated, they had been sitting on their hands for a month before they got the last tip.

They had travelled across Europe for two months, sometimes Natasha dropping in on them to meet up with former informants, other people who have their ear low to the ground. They got a few tips but only lead to an already burned down HYDRA bunker or safe house. They knew it was most likely Buckys doing but there wasn’t evidence of how long ago it was or where he was next. So they moved across known HYDRA cells in hope there would be one remaining and find Bucky there.

They had no luck, all two months with barely any leads and had them going home with their tail between their legs. Natasha picks them up in a quinjet, thankfully not mentioning their failure. The moment they touch down on the top of the avengers tower, Steve makes his way to his floor. Sam has his own apartment within the tower and he knows his friend is most likely heading there to cool down. He feels guilt, among so many other feelings, for leading Sam on this journey.

Before they part, Sam turns to him, slapping him on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Get some rest, we’ll start looking for new leads tomorrow.”

Steve nods, looking down at the duffle bag in his hand. 

“I’m your partner and friend, you’re not leading me anywhere I don’t want to go,” Sam reminds him as they step into the elevator.

Steve arrives at his floor, begins to step off. “Thanks, Sam.”

He waves a lazy two finger salute that brings out a laugh from Steve. He steps into his apartment and feels the tension leave from his shoulders. He drops his duffel bag at the doorway of his bedroom and collapses onto the bed, exhaustion taking over. His bed is too soft, which should be impossible for a rock hard bed, he knows that sleep will be hard to come by. 

Steve manages a few hours of restless sleep before giving up and taking a shower before raiding the common room kitchen. He pulls on a plaid shirt and track pants, dressing for comfort while only going down a floor. Steve steps into an empty common room and breathes out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, wanting to be left alone and out of the prying and intrusiveness of his friends. 

Steve realizes he’s not exactly alone when he steps into the room and hears a laugh. He rounds the corner into the kitchen and there’s a baby resting on the counter in a half sitting bed thing, smiling happily at Darcy, who was blowing hair out of her face.

“You like it when I burn myself?” She asks the baby sarcastically, running her hand under cold water. That only elicits a light giggle and he notices the smile beneath the curtain of hair that she tries to hide.

Steve can’t contain the chuckle and alerts his arrival, Darcy shooting up with wide eyes. She throws her hair out of her face and looks like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Darcy backs up, turning off the sink and drying her hand on her pants. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to intrude on your space but the kitchen was empty. I can go if you want.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” He exclaims, stepping forward. He holds up his hands, “please, continue what you’re doing, I just came in here for a snack.”

Steve pulls open the fridge to find the inside near empty. He looks through the cupboards, craving a sandwich or any kind of protein. His stomach makes a loud grumble and maybe he’s hungrier than he thought. Steve feels the blush run down his neck, embarrassment growing when Darcy laughs.

“I think you’re a little more hungry then you let on,” she smiles, her eyes kind and in no way mocking, looking slightly more relaxed. “How about I make extras and share?”

Steve leans his hip against the counter and crosses his arms across his chest, thinking seriously about the offer for a second. “What’s on the menu?”

“Homemade lasagna and veggies.”

“If you don’t mind, I would love to join you for dinner.”

Darcy nods, still smiling. “Take a seat, Mr. Rogers.”

“Steve,” he reminds her, moving around the counter and taking a seat on a stool.

“Right. Steve.” This time it’s Darcy who blushes.

She’s heating vegetables over the stove top on the island, giving Steve a clear view of the meal being prepared and Darcy herself. Avery is sitting several feet away, closer towards Steve than the actual heat source. Avery is gurgling away, limbs waving.

“I know this is the avengers space, I’m normally not down here but Thor broke our oven and the floor was available,” Darcy explains, attention focused solely on stirring the vegetables in the pan.

“You’re allowed on this floor, Darcy, it’s not just avengers only.”

“I know,” she answers, a little uncomfortable. 

Steve lets it slides, knowing there’s something she’s holding back. It’s clear she hasn’t settled in completely, only having been here two months. Steve wants her to feel at home, wants her to feel comfortable in her home. He doesn’t know her, not really, but he wants to. There’s something about Darcy, from her first meeting she was uninhibited, all curses and bold statements. There’s something she’s holding back, maybe just from him but he suspects from everyone, which keeps her from being her true self.

Darcy pulls the lasagna from the oven, setting it on a cutting board to cool down. She pulls the vegetables off the burner, dishing them onto two plates. Steve watches as she moves around the kitchen with practiced ease and he decides to help, setting two spots at the island with a placemat and utensils.

She dishes out the lasagna when it’s cool while Steve pours them each a glass of milk, setting it in front of their place settings. They move around each other easily, never getting in each other's way though that is most likely due to the large kitchen. Within minutes, they’re both sitting beside each other, digging into their meals. His plate is filled up more than hers, piled high with delicious smelling food, to acquit his enhanced hunger. 

Avery has been pulled across the large kitchen island, facing them both. She’s looking much different from the last time he saw her. Her cheeks are still chunky, her eyes are less grey and a shade of blue almost matching Darcy’s. The little patch of hair on her head looks darker and less blonde. She’s definitely grown bigger, on the verge to looking human and less wrinkly as she was as a newborn.

“She’s changed so much in two months,” Steve notes.

Darcy hums, smiling as she looks over her daughter. “Crazy how much can change in a short amount of time.”

“How has the past two months been? What have I missed?” Steve questions, taking another bite of his lasagna.

“Too much,” Darcy smiles, her shoulders dropping as she relaxes into the conversation. “The first month was kind of hell, babies poop a lot and it felt like she was eating every ten minutes. It was exhausting. Jane was pretty helpful but she was in the labs most of the time and neither her nor Thor were a fan of the crying. Thor definitely was not a fan of the spit up”

Steve perked up at the potential for an embarrassing story. “What happened with Thor and the spit up?”

“It must have been when Avery was six weeks old, Thor was holding her up in front of him and she threw up all down the front of him. Turns out the God of Thunder doesn’t like the smell of spit up and he had to hand off the baby to Jane before running to the kitchen and throwing up in the sink!” Darcy regales, laughing. “I’ve never seen him look so terrified before, it was priceless.”

Steve joins in laughing. “That’s quite the story.”

Darcy nods, reaching out and running a finger over the sole of Avery’s socked foot. “She’s an angel baby but she’s going through this stage where she only wants me to hold her. Won’t let Jane or Thor even hold her for a second, she’s a mama’s girl.”

“What about the others?”

Darcy shrugs, turning her attention to the food on her plate. “We’ve mostly kept to our floor, I don’t want to bother anyone.”

He wants to reach out, offer her some support but he doesn’t know how she’d react so he settles for kind words. “You’re not a bother to anyone, this is your home and you’re now our family.”

Darcy hesitates, biting her lower lip. “You guys are the avengers and save lives for a living. I just don’t measure up and it’s embarrassing.”

“Give us more credit. I know it’s hard finding your place, but we could use a gal like you around.”

“No you guys really don’t. I’m just Jane’s side kick and Thor’s little sister with a baby. I don’t measure up to super soldiers, spies, scientists, and CEO’s.”

“Well, this is just my opinion but I’ve seen your strength and resilience when Avery was born. You may not see it but from those few days I got to spend with you I saw it and I’m sure Jane and Thor see it every day as well. You don’t need to measure up, you’re perfectly you and sometimes that’s enough. I wouldn’t mind to see more of that strength and to get to know you, the others as well. So don’t hold out on us, okay?”

A slow smile creeps across her face, her shoulders dropping with ease. “you’re kind of smart about this stuff aren’t you.”

Steve shrugs, unable to hide a smirk as he replies, “I’m Captain America, I’m smart about a lot of things.”

The air turns from stuffy with seriousness into a quiet playfulness. Darcy’s eyes widen in surprise behind her thick rimmed glasses, mouth dropping open in surprise. She punches his arms, not hard but enough for him to feel it. “Smart ass.”

They both burst out in laughter. “But really, you need more people in your circle, don’t count us out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They finish their dinner in relative silence, the faint sound of music floating through the room. Darcy had a playlist going while she cooked, the ipod dock on the corner of the counter across the room. Avery watches them, smiling and waving her fist about. When Steve finishes his dinner before Darcy, he offers to clean up the dishes.

There isn’t many and Steve works through the pots and pans efficiently, the utensils and plates going into the dishwasher. He hears Darcy get up and turns to see her picking up Avery and placing the baby on her hip.

“Would you mind settling in and watching a movie with me?” He questions, catching her off guard as she begins to head for the elevators.

Darcy pauses like a deer caught in headlights and after a moment she slowly comes to, “sure. I just need to go up to my apartment to feed and change her.”

“I’ll clean up and get a movie started. Any preferences?”

“How do you feel about 90’s movies?” She asks, a small smile forming.

“I haven’t really seen many movies past 1945 but I’m more than willing to jump in,” he answers honestly. 

He’s not a huge fan of television, movies were a way of bonding with the team but he was never around to join in. His way of acclimating to the new century was through music and reading, though he’s been told that movies and television shows would help in leap and bounds. Steve felt ready to tackle the new and unfamiliar medium. 

“Perfect. JARVIS, can you queue up Clueless?”

“Will do, Miss Lewis.”

“It’s a classic. Don’t worry, Steve, you’ll love it.” She throws a wink over her shoulder as she enters the elevator and the doors close behind her.

Steve lets out a laugh and gets to work finishing on those dishes. He wraps up the leftovers and leaves it in the fridge for Darcy to deal with later. If she leaves it in the fridge of the common floor then it’s bound to be gone by morning, he puts a sticky note on it with property of Darcy Lewis. Hopefully, that’ll keep the avengers hands off, they weren’t big on personal space and food was no different.

He pops a bag of popcorn, the last package in the kitchen, and plops down on the huge plush couch. There was a personal theater around the corner which was rarely used, the setup was just the same in the lounge area. The Clueless menu is pulled up on the television and Steve fiddles with his phone while he waits for Darcy.

She’s down in ten minutes, dressed down in yoga pants and baggy sweater. He hears the cupboards opening and closing, and disgruntled exhale of breath. “JARVIS, can you put down peanut butter M&M’s to the shopping list?”

“Already added, Miss Lewis.”

“You’re the best,” she calls back. Darcy sits down at the arm of the couch, an arms reach from Steve who was sitting on the other side of the couch.

He perks a brow in question, noticing the kitchen was bare. Darcy just shrugs, “I’ve been updating the grocery list for JARVIS, you guys clear it out pretty fast, I hadn’t been able to sneak down here in the past few days to check inventory.”

“Really?”

“I take care of Jane and sometimes my mothering takes over,” she explains nonchalantly.

Steve doesn’t really remember how things worked before Darcy arrived, he does remember a lot of take out. Though, that could have been Tony and all his family dinners that no one was willing to cook for. JARVIS sends a few items to his floor when he’s in the tower, most of it goes uneaten and sits expiring in the back of his fridge.

He hands the bowl of popcorn over to Darcy who grabs a handful. Avery is snuggled against her torso, head resting on Darcy’s shoulder. “So what’s this movie about?”

“A rich high school student dealing with popularity and love,” Darcy answers, shoving popcorn ungraciously into her mouth.

“Sounds interesting?” He doesn’t mean for it to sound as a question, but it does.

Darcy clicks play, “shut up and watch the damn movie.”

There’s a playfulness to her voice as he chuckles. “Yes, ma’am.”

The movie starts up and Steve settles back into the couch relaxing. JARVIS dims the lights. He can see out of the corner of his eye Darcy miming dialogue while simultaneously running a hand down Avery’s back. The movie is interesting. Not what he was expecting but surprisingly good, a strong female cast that was funny. Steve couldn’t help but laugh along with Darcy at the main character.

They get halfway through the movie when Darcy’s phone goes off. The movie pauses automatically, Darcy looking apologetically down at Steve as she leaves the area to answer the call. He tries not to eavesdrop but it’s hard with his super hearing and he knows it’s Jane on the other line, needing Darcy for something or other.

“There’s an emergency in the lab,” she says quietly, trying to text on her phone and hold Avery.

There’s a little bit of juggling when Steve stands up, “need me to hold her?”

Darcy sighs and nods frantically, “please!” Then pauses mid-text, looking up at him with wide eyes, “would you mind watching her while I deal with Jane?”

Steve stares down at the baby in his hands who was now awake and squirming in his grasp. Granted, Steve was holding her under the arms and out from his body like he was scared she was contagious. “You want me to watch her?”

“Please? Just for twenty minutes tops there’s no babies allowed in the lab. Just hold her in your arms and maybe rock a bit and she’ll fall right asleep,” Darcy says, pushing the baby back into his arms, rearranging so one hand is supporting her bottom and the other on her back.

Darcy shoots out of there, giving Steve a thumbs up as the elevator doors close behind her. Avery starts crying the moment she loses sight of her mother. He really wants to call Darcy back, to take Avery with her and comfort her, but he knows she’ll need her undivided attention as she deals with Jane’s emergency.

Steve begins bouncing lightly around the room, holding Avery tight to his chest as he hushes her. She’s still crying and fidgeting in his arms. His ears hurt and he’s getting a headache, feeling helpless himself. “Shh, it’s okay, your mom will be back soon,” he tries, patting lightly at her back. He grabs a toy he finds in her rock n play, a little stuffed Thor doll, tries giving it to her for comfort but she doesn’t take it.

“Come on, doll, just quit your crying, you’re alright,” he whispers, trying to waltz around the floor and calm the baby down.

She doesn’t relent once. Her face scrunched up and red, crying loudly. He rubs light circles onto her back with his palm, bouncing her up and down in his arms. She’s so tiny but her cries are mighty. “Shh, you’re okay,” he tries again to no avail.

“Captain Rogers, Miss Lewis has asked me to relay a message for you. ‘If Avery is crying or won’t settle then there’s a bottle in the fridge.’” JARVIS announces.

Steve lets out a breath of relief, “thanks JARVIS.”

He pulls the bottle out of the fridge and knows that he can’t feed it to the baby cold, he briefly looks between the microwave and stove. “Uh, JARVIS? Do you know how to heat up a bottle?”

“A quick search has expressed that you heat the bottle on the stove in warm water. Testing it on your wrist and ensuring you shake it for even heat distribution,” JARVIS answers in his usual crisp tone.

Steve balances Avery on the side of his body, one arm curled around her. He sets things up with his free hand, trying to fill a pot of water up and not jostle the baby too much. The elevator pings, announcing a guest but Steve doesn’t hear it over the crying or running water. Laughter cuts through his focus and he turns around quickly, pot in one hand and baby in the other hand, already on the defense.

“Darcy.”

Her laughter is light and musical, her face lighting up. He doesn’t feel embarrassed as he would if someone else had caught him so frazzled. Darcy steps into the kitchen, laughter dying as she reaches out for her daughter. Steve hands her off, setting the pot on the counter. The second Avery is back in her mother’s arms she’s quiet again, tears drying up instantly.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” she apologizes, stepping past him and setting the pot on the burner and turning it on low. “She’s not a huge fan of strangers.”

“It’s fine,” he replies, leaning a hip against the counter. “So what was going on in the labs?”

Darcy gave him an exasperated look. “I recalibrated a few machines the other day and they weren’t up to Jane’s standards. I love the woman but she needs to learn how her machines work, I’ve been taking care of them since New Mexico.”

“You weren’t gone long.”

“Nah, just a few adjustments to make Jane happy again.”

“D’you like your job?” He questions because there’s a sense of fondness in there but he can see her apprehension.

“Yeah,” she shrugs, adjusting her grip on Avery as she sat on her hip. “Just not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know but I’m trying to find out. I love Jane but I don’t think I can be her assistant forever,” she replies, shaking her head and smiling. “How’s your ears? I forgot you had the whole super serum thing going on.”

“S’fine now,” he smirks, rubbing at his ear. “Kid’s got a set of lungs on her.”

“She got it from her mama.” Darcy puffs her chin out with pride. She works on the bottle, shaking it and testing the warmth. “You ready to finish off the movie?”

“Sure.”

They return to the couch, Darcy settling closer to Steve than before. He’s not quite paying attention to the movie, his focus more on Darcy and Avery. The baby is happily sucking on her bottle and Steve can’t help but notice how Darcy is looking relaxed and more at home than when he first saw her that evening. Darcy’s laughing at the screen, Steve joining in because the scene is the girls trapped on the freeway screaming. He feels himself settle into the couch, relaxing himself and feeling the failures of the mission drift from his mind.

“So?” Darcy questions, turning towards him the minute the credits start playing. She’s moved Avery to her rock n play, the baby snuggled in with a blanket and sleeping away.

“It’s good,” he replies, flicking off the television.

“Do you feel better?” She asks quietly. Steve stares at her confused and Darcy just perks a brow. “You looked like shit when you came down for dinner.”

Steve rubs a hand over his face, sighing loudly. “You noticed?”

“Yeah. Wanna talk about it?”

His head hangs low. He’s always on the other side of things, making sure everyone is okay and that they have everything they need, yet no one has really asked him about how he’s feeling. Sam has, he’s always poking at him to let it all out but Steve’s too good at bottling it up. Before the ice, soldiers didn’t talk about their problems in fear of being seen as weak and it’s a habit Steve has fought hard to get over.

It’s hard talking about Bucky and what he means to Steve. Yet, there’s something about Darcy. Most likely the fact that she’s a civilian and hasn’t seen war or death and destruction the way others have. He knows she was involved in New Mexico and London, so she’s gone through life or death situations but there’s no blood on her hands. She’s offers a fresh perspective.

“Sam and I have been out looking for a friend of mine from the forties. I thought he was dead, watched him fall, but turns out he was alive all this time and under Hydra’s control. Now Hydra’s gone, SHIELD’s being rebuilt, and he’s on the run.”

“The Winter Soldier, right?” Darcy scoots over, reaching out and wrapping his hand up in both of hers in an offer of silent support. Steve meets her eyes, seeing compassion there and feels all his walls come down. 

“Yeah, Bucky Barnes. We’ve been all over Europe chasing after him but all we get are cold trails. Natasha helps as much as she can, sending out for information from old allies but it puts her at risk to do so. Hydra’s not gone and Bucky’s out there. Is it wrong for me to want to bring him home and keep him safe?”

“You’re not terrible for wanting the best for him. But maybe he wants to come in on his own time,” she suggests.

“What if he doesn’t come in at all? What if Hydra gets their hands on him again? What if I get to him and I can help him?” He asks her, feeling himself grow frantic at all the possibilities.

Darcy squeezes his hand. “You can ask yourself all the what if’s but you have to trust him that when he’s ready he’ll come to you. If you find him and he’s not ready than it can do more damage than good.”

“I just want my friend back,” he whispers, looking down at their joined hands.

“What do you think is best for him?”

“I think he’s ready to come in but he’s being too stubborn, possibly out of fear of the repercussions. It’s been close to a year since D.C., he’s destroying more Hydra cells than we can keep up with,” Steve admits.

“Then I’ll help you,” she states, smiling at Steve. “Clearly what you’ve been doing now isn’t enough. I think I have an idea.”

Steve’s confused and watches as she jumps off the couch, telling him silently to give her a sec. She’s back on the couch beside him with a laptop in seconds. “Have you talked to Tony about using any technology?”

“I haven’t felt right about asking Tony for help and he hasn’t really offered,” he tells her. It’s a little vague but he doesn’t feel the need to share the information. The blood on Bucky’s hands (Howard and Maria Stark) is a taboo subject in the tower, no one is willing to bring it up. 

She’s pressing keys and typing things, her tongue sticking out between her lips in concentration. There’s a furrow in her brow as she furiously thinks things through. “I have an idea.”

“An idea?”

“Yeah,” she says, distracted by all the words and numbers on her screen.

Steve sits there quietly and lets her work. He watches the screen but as much as he’s caught up on technology he hasn’t dug into coding or anything computer related. Her fingers slow down and a small smile brushes across her lips, lighting up her features. “Almost there,” she says.

“Darcy?”

“Shh, mama needs to concentrate.”

Steve laughs and shuts up, letting Darcy concentrate. He picks up a magazine that’s left on the coffee table, a bright pink cover and half naked woman. It’s titled ‘Cosmopolitan’ and he’s never read it before but quickly discovers it’s all about sex. Steve still reads it anyway, even taking one of the quizzes inside.

What feels like an hour later Darcy cheers quietly in triumph, “finally!” Then she looks sideways at Steve, sees what he’s reading and laughs. “Are you reading Cosmo?”

“It’s got good tips,” he replies, shrugging as he closes the magazine and tosses it back on the coffee table.

Darcy shakes her head, clearing her thoughts. “Okay, so you can’t use your Captain America voice on me, alright?” Steve nods, Darcy continues. “I hacked into the NSA.”

“Darcy!”

“Like that!” She fires back. “You said no Captain voice!”

“You hacked into the NSA!”

Avery makes a sound of protest and they both shut up to look over at the baby. She was still asleep, only adjusting her arm, and they gave a sigh of relief.

“It’s to help find Bucky,” she says quietly. “They’ve been keeping tabs on him and I needed the information. Now, I quickly created a program that hacks into CCTV cams across the world. I have an image processing software running, it’s synched so once he’s spotted on any camera in the world it will track his movements until you can get there. Do you know where he was last? Or where he is now?”

Steve thinks back, it’s been a while but he thinks to where he knows he was last. “Portugal.”

Darcy nods, “okay, so I’m scanning his image for his last sighting and have another search going in case he shows up anywhere in the future. If we find him on a camera from last week, it’ll track his movements.”

“He’s probably underground now and he’s not going to come up for air unless he needs to or slips up. That’s probably not going to happen.”

“You’ve done everything you can, Steve, give this program a chance.”

Steve sighs. “You can get in a lot of trouble for doing this.”

Darcy waves him off. “Please, let me put some of my skills to use.” She’s typing again, not quite done. “Do you have a message to send him? I think I’ll be able to plant it into Hydra’s system.”

Steve thinks about it, then wonders if it’s safe to do so. “Is there any way that would lead back to you or the tower?”

“Nope. You think he’s destroying cell’s right? Bucky’s probably going through Hydra files, it’ll be like an Easter egg.”

“When you’re ready, I’m with you to the end of the line.”

“Perfect,” she smiles, typing more code. When Darcy finally finishes, she closes her laptop, setting it on the couch beside her. “I obviously don’t know the situation well enough but he most likely just needs time. From what I’ve heard about what Hydra did to him, he’s probably trying to figure out who he is and what his next move is. Give him some time.”

Steve stands up, pulling Darcy with him and hugs her. “Thank you, Darcy.”

She pulls back smiling. “It’s what friends do, right?”

“Right.”

Darcy picks up Avery out of her rock n play, snuggling the baby close. “I’ll keep you updated. Get some rest.”

“Good night, Darcy, and thank you for dinner and everything.”

“No problem.”

“Remember to try with the team, let us in. You need more people to have your back.”

Darcy turns around when she reaches the elevator. “Thanks for the company, Steve, and if you’re hungry you can finish off that lasagna.”

She steps onto the elevator and Steve flops down on the couch, propping his feet up on the table and sighing out a deep breath. The elevator dings and before Steve can think about all the possibilities, he calls out “you forget something?”

“What?” Steve looks over the back of the couch and Sam is standing there looking confused. “Did I miss something?”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, “nah, there’s lasagna in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

“Amazing, just what I’ve been craving.”


	6. let me know you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I had this chapter done a month ago but I went on vacation and had a bit of writers block and when I finally got it fixed up I had to wait for approval from my beta. I had a hard time trying to get Natasha just right, hopefully I wrote her close enough to be in character. But here it is! Hope y'all enjoy it.

After a talk with Jane a few days after her dinner with Steve, Darcy decides to make an effort with the avengers. This is Darcy’s home for the foreseeable future and she can’t be trapped to her floor and as much as she loves Thor and Jane, she needs more friends. The avengers are intimidating, they go out and save lives which is a lot more than Darcy can say for herself.

It’s a Tuesday morning, two months after her arrival to the tower, when she officially meets Tony Stark. Darcy had a rough night with Avery, her daughter recently discovering she hates sleeping and had spent a majority of the night awake wanting to be held. Her kid may be two months old but had an affinity for being held when she was sad or cranky, something Darcy shared with her daughter.

Darcy’s exhausted when she walks into the lab, it’s too early but Darcy wants to get a start on the day and hopefully slip out early. She practically shoves her baby onto the SI daycare attendants, the older woman looking shocked to see Darcy down there so early. Jane was still on a science bender and was looking haggard from over twenty four hours without sleep, so Darcy took it upon herself to cut her off and send her to bed.

She didn’t need to return back to work so early, Pepper was kind enough to allow her to start working when she was ready with no time limit. Maternity leave was commonly around twelve weeks and Darcy had the time but by the eighth week she was growing restless and thus waited until a week before introducing Avery to the Si daycare. It was clear Jane needed her, the other two interns not up to par even though they were studying in astrophysics, so Darcy came in to work and take care of Jane and all her needs for four days a week.

The lab was quiet, a little eerie for a room that was always filled with science chatter, either from Jane or other actual interns. Darcy asked JARVIS to play her a playlist, an acoustic set that matched with the early morning laziness she was feeling, then set into the notes Jane had left her. Darcy was the only one able to translate Jane’s chicken scratch and was assigned the terrible task of typing up her illegible notes. 

Darcy’s maybe an hour into her work when the doors burst open and Tony Stark is standing there pointing a finger at her. “You!”

“Me?” She questions, looking around the obviously empty lab.

Tony strides in, Stark Pad in hand, “you did this?” He shoves the thing under her nose with her program she made for Steve pulled up.

Darcy looks down at the running code, the program promptly running through information. “Uh, yeah?”

“You wrote the whole thing yourself?”

“Yeah,” she repeats. “What are you doing with it?”

“I keep track of what goes on in my building,” he answers, pulling away. Tony grabs a stool and sits down, scrolling through the Stark Pad. “It’s impressive.”

Darcy saves her work, closes her laptop and crosses her arms. “What are you doing with my program that I designed for Steve?”

Tony mocks, “why, Miss Lewis, is that anyway to talk to your boss?”

“You’re not my boss Jane is and we were both hired by Miss Potts,” she retorts, smirking at his pout.

“I may have heard Steve talking about it and decided to take a look. I’m impressed you managed to hack into the NSA.”

“What, like it’s hard?” She teases, promptly quoting Elle Woods, her role model and inspiration.

“I thought you were just the assistant that was a glorified babysitter? How are you hacking into government databases? Isn’t your degree in political science?”

Darcy waves her arms out. “Welcome to the twenty-first century, where women aren’t one dimensional and can have many interests with many skill sets. Besides, I’ve hacked into SHIELD many times before, it’s really not that hard.”

Tony leans forward on his stool, smiling broadly. “I knew I was going to like you, kid.” He straightens, turning serious. “Now tell me how you tazed the God of Thunder.”

Darcy bats her eyelashes, pulling her purse across the desk. “Well, I can show you.” She pulls out the Taser, smirking at Tony with her finger resting across the trigger.

Tony holds his hands up in surrender. “You got balls, you know that?”

“Nah, I got a vagina, they’re much stronger.”

Tony barks out a laugh. “Now let’s talk about these upgrades on your program,” he says, pulling the stool closer to her.

Darcy opens her laptop, “let’s hear what you’ve got to change, Stark.”

The air changes in the lab, Darcy’s feeling more awake and energized. The playlist changes to 90’s R&B, one of her favorites. Tony bobs his head along and they go through the changes together. Tony suggests that the program hack into more than just CCTV cams and begins setting up the building blocks to hack into any camera in the world, including cell phones and ATM cameras. It’s genius and Darcy wishes she thought of it herself.

Somewhere around the halfway point, Tony perks up a little worn. He’s staring down at Darcy’s computer which he had stolen hours ago to work on. “You know HYDRA killed my parents?” He blinks up at her, brown eyes wide and innocent. Tony shrugs. “The Winter Soldier, actually.”

Darcy feels her heart sink. She knows The Winter Soldier has a history as one of the world’s deadliest assassins but she never thought someone she knew was effected as closely as Tony was. “Then why are you helping find him?”

“HYDRA killed my parents, Barnes was the weapon,” he says, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. There’s a long pause before he continues with his thought. “Maybe it’s selfish of me but I want to find him to get closure. To know that he remembers his actions and that they their deaths aren’t just a part of a long list of assassinations he doesn’t remember.”

“You want an apology.”

“To be held accountable, among other things.”

“Have you talked to Steve about this?”

“Not really any of his business,” Tony answers and effectively ends their conversation. It doesn’t really explain why he’s helping to find Barnes, maybe out of a sense of friendship and loyalty to Steve. Darcy will never know, and just as he said, it’s none of her business. 

They promptly return to their sciencing, working in tandem. Tony’s actually surprised by her knowledge and it’s so easy to work off one another. Darcy assumes this is what Jane feels like when she works with the other interns and scientists who know about astrophysics. She’s feeling the high of sciencing and doesn’t hear Jane coming into the lab and effectively breaking their science spell.

“What are you doing in my lab, Stark?” Jane practically shouts across the lab, causing two dark heads to pop up and looking across the room rather guilty.

Tony shoots up off his stool, “we’re working on something.”

“Out!”

“I’ll be back later,” he tells Darcy before waltzing out of the lab, not even bothering to argue and most likely itching to get back to his own work.

Jane sits down beside Darcy, occupying the spot Tony just vacated. “What was he doing in here?”

“We’re working on something together for Steve.”

She looks surprised but covers it quickly. Darcy knows she’s not going to let it go and her curiosity will return, just not when there’s an intern literally pulling at her lab coat begging for attention. Jane’s swept off into science land and Darcy returns to her real work, deciphering Jane’s notes.

Tony finds her a few days later in the common room watching friends with Steve, a growing tradition. Thor had just returned from Asgard and Darcy needed out of her apartment and a little quiet time, stumbling upon Steve was a surprise. She had her own room but lately it was feeling too small and she needed a different environment to relax and watch her favourite shows. Steve was all aboard on getting started on a classic sitcom.

“Let’s get back to work,” Tony says, coming out of nowhere and flopping down on the couch beside her. Steve perks up from the other side of the couch and Tony gives him a brief nod.

“Now?” Her gaze shifting between the television and him.

“We should go to my lab,” he suggests and is already bouncing from the couch.

Darcy looks down at Avery who is very content to be resting against Darcy’s chest, curled up and sucking on her fist. Darcy clears her throat, drawing Tony’s attention back down to her. “No babies in the lab.”

Tony pouts, shrugging anyway. “We can work from here.”

Steve raises his brows in surprise and Darcy whispers that she’ll fill him in later. He stands, smiling down at Darcy, “I’ll come back when you’re done.”

“Are you sure? We’re not kicking you out,” Darcy tries, wanting to be diplomatic.

“Yeah,” he answers, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I won’t be able to follow along or contribute. I think I’ll get Thor to spar for a few hours.”

“Later, capsical,” Tony calls out before plopping back beside Darcy on the couch.

Darcy pauses the show to save their spot and turns off the television. She carefully grabs her laptop from her messenger bag at her feet and sets it open. Tony swiftly takes it from her and begins getting to work, the world falling away as he zeroes in on a new idea. Darcy settles in, one hand rubbing down Avery’s back as her gaze if focused intently on everything Tony is typing up.

They settle into a familiar grove of working. Tony typing and reworking the program around his new idea and Darcy adding in her own ideas. She’s quick to realize the similarities between her and Tony. It’s easy to trade barbs, rallying snark and sass between them in a conversation.

Turns out, Tony Stark isn’t as intimidating as Darcy originally believed. Especially when he’s finally done his upgrades and asks to hold the baby. He looks younger, hair falling into his tired eyes, but looking hopeful. Darcy gives him a sideways look, remembering his initial reaction when she first brought Avery home.

“What’d you finally have a change of heart about babies, Stark?”

“Nah, she just look more human this time round. She’s cute.”

Darcy smiles at his honest reaction and moves to hand Avery over. The baby cries the moment she’s in his arms, beginning to squirm at the uncomfortable and unfamiliar hands that are holding her.

“Like this,” she says, shifting his arms so he’s giving more support to Avery and holding her close to his body.

Avery sniffles, looking up at Tony with wide blue eyes. “One day, I’ll be your favourite uncle.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah,” he smirks. “Babies can’t resist this face.”

She looks down at her crying baby who’s beginning to squirm and cry. “Alright, Stark, whatever you say.”

Darcy doesn’t bring up that the next day she has a box filled with Iron Man merchandise delivered to her apartment. It’s all toys, clothes, blankets, everything needed for a baby that has Iron Man’s face on it. There’s a note reading, “for my favourite niece”. Darcy suspects he doesn’t show his feelings often, but she learns that there is a heart beneath the reactor, and Tony Stark is a big softy. 

-

After becoming friends with Tony (it’s still weird for Darcy to admit such a fact), she brings him breakfast and lunch. Jane loves her pop tarts and Tony loves his anything blueberry, so some mornings it’s a blueberry muffin or waffles, or just a package of blueberries. Somehow she takes Bruce under her wing.

Jane gives Darcy something for Bruce to look at. It’s all gibberish to Darcy, pages of equations and symbols that she can’t decipher. Jane has asked him to look it over, basically asking for his opinion and help. So like a good intern, Darcy takes the Stark Pad to him to look over and when she enters his lab he’s passed out at his desk fast asleep.

Darcy sets the Stark Pad down carefully, not really sure how to wake up the man who turns into the hulk. She looks up to the ceiling, “uh JARVIS?”

“Yes, Miss Lewis?”

“How do I wake up Dr. Banner?”

The Stark Pad begins to vibrate and because it was placed on the table that Bruce was resting his head on, he was able to feel the vibrations. He jumps up out of his chair, sending it flying across the room. Darcy holds up her hands, “I’m so sorry, I just came to drop something off from Jane.”

He takes a deep breath, gets his bearings, and shoots her a tired smile. “My apologies.”

Darcy takes a seat on an empty stool, “you pulled an all nighter didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” he chuckles, dragging a hand down the side of his face. His glasses are askew and his hair is sticking up at all ends.

Darcy stands up suddenly with determination. “You need to go get some rest, work is important but your health come first.”

“I really can’t be taking any more time off…”

He dies off when Darcy take ahold of him gently and pushes him into the elevator. “What if in your tiredness your sciencing and you drop something and then that something explodes? You’ll end up as the hulk, right?”

Bruce looks at her sideways, confusion written across his worn face. “I suspect so, yes.”

“Well, we really don’t want that,” she reasons, reaching out and pulling him across the lab by the sleeve of his lab coat. “We don’t need any explosions or hulk appearances.”

Bruce stops in his tracks, bringing Darcy to a halt. “I really can’t leave right now, I’m on the verge of a breakthrough.”

“That’s what they all say.” Darcy rolls her eyes when he refuses to move. “Look, I’ve dealt with cranky, tired scientists before. You’re no different.

“Miss Lewis-”

“Call me Darcy, and you really can’t make an argument that Jane hasn’t already. Take an hour nap and I’ll make sure you have dinner waiting for you and then you can get back to work.”

He tries to protest but doesn’t get very far, finding her demands reasonable. “Thank you.”

Darcy brushes it off, “s’what I’m here for. Now, Chinese, Indian, or Italian?”

Bruce thinks about it for a second and then smiles, “Italian would be nice.”

“Got it. Now off to sleep.” She practically pushes him onto the elevator, demanding for JARVIS to take him to his floor. He shoots her a shy smile as the doors close.

Darcy orders him dinner and delivers it herself after his hour is up. There’s not much left for her to do in the lab so she decides to have dinner with Bruce. Thor is looking after Avery for the night, allowing Darcy to work later than usually. Though having dinner with Bruce doesn’t necessarily count as work.

He looks marginally better when he opens the door, smiling when he sets his sights first on Darcy and then the food in take out containers held in her hand. “You hungry?”

Bruce nods, “Yes. Would you like to join me?”

“I was hoping to,” she answers, following him into his apartment.

Bruce has decorated his space with artifacts from places he’s visited, artwork ranging from African to Asian themed. It’s a little chaotic, the way the colours and cultures clash but it fits Bruce perfectly. She admires the art and his extensive library while he dishes out the meals onto plates, setting up the small table with two place settings.

They dig into their meal quietly, still unfamiliar with each other. Darcy is usually a chatter box but Bruce’s presence is calming and she finds that she doesn’t feel the need to fill the silence. Surprisingly, it’s Bruce who fills the void. He pauses between bites of linguine, looking across the small table at Darcy.

“How are you settling in?”

“Good,” she answers. It’s simple and the truth. Darcy may have struggled in the beginning with motherhood and her new residence, but she feels like she’s settling in and opening herself up.

“At the last family dinner you didn’t look so well, I was a little concerned.”

Darcy shrugs, fork digging into her own pasta noodles, “it’s hard to measure up to a room full of heroes.”

Bruce reaches out, his large hand settling over hers. “I know there’s not much I can say to make you at ease but we’re all human here.”

“I know and I’m trying to look at it that way.”

“So tell me what has Tony so fascinated in your work,” Bruce smiles, easily changing the subject. Darcy latches on, going into the program she designed for Steve and Tony butting in and offering his opinion and help.

Conversation flows naturally and following that dinner Darcy finds herself bringing him tea and scones in her spare time. Some days she’ll bring him lunch but not often does he go without eating. Darcy likes that he’s capable of taking care of himself, not like the other two scientists under her employ. When she does come into his lab for a visit they talk about Culver, about his travels across Asia, and politics.

They become friends within weeks and he adores Avery. She finds this out one night while baking in the common room, the kitchen stocked with everything she needs that she prefers the common floor kitchen over the one on her floor. Avery is in her rock n play, not asleep and beginning to cry when Bruce walks in.

Darcy has something mixing and is about to step away when she sees Bruce lean over and tickle her feet. A small laugh bubbles out, her discomfort forgotten with the new stimulation. “May I pick her up?” He asks politely and Darcy nods.

“She may cry, she’s not big on new people and she really doesn’t like Tony. I think it’s…” She doesn’t finish her sentence because Avery settles into his arms without any issue. “Wow.”

Bruce chuckles, returning to tickling Avery. Her laughter bounces around the open room, making both Darcy and Bruce smile. “Kids like me,” Bruce comments.

“You can keep her,” Darcy jokes.

Bruce settles down on the couch playing with Avery. The baby is three months old so it’s not like she can do much to play but Bruce teases and tickles, eliciting endless laughter. When Darcy’s cookies are done she packs a plate full and plops down beside Bruce on the couch, offering him one. He claims they’re the best chocolate cookies he’s ever tasted and Darcy tells him this is the start to a beautiful friendship.

-

Clint is surprisingly easy to get along with once she opens herself up to the new friendship. Darcy has taken to spending more time in the common room rather than in the apartment, finally feeling comfortable in the tower. She has a whole wing to herself on Jane’s floor but she hates being confined to one room and she really doesn’t want to watch Thor and Jane suck face in the living room.

One night, Darcy is watching The Incredibles, and Clint comes out from nowhere and sits down right beside her on the couch. “I love this movie,” he says, passing her a package of M&M’s.

Darcy snatches the bag from him without missing a beat, “are you the one that keeps breaking into my stash?”

“You’re not hiding them very well if I can find them,” he retorts, making a play to grab them back but Darcy’s pouring them all into her hand.

“I hid them behind the cleaning supplies! How did you even think to look there?” Clint looks up briefly towards the ceiling in answer. “You actually hide out in the fucking vents? I thought Steve was trying to be funny when he told me that!”

Her voice carries and she forgot momentarily that Avery was sleeping off to the side. The baby gurgles, rubs with her little hand at her face but goes back to sleep. “What a creep!” She throws her fist out to punch him in the arm and actually hurts the side of her hand.

“Not bad,” he hums. “You should let me teach you self-defense.”

“Uh why?”

“Living in this tower makes you a target. You wanna come back home to your girl, right?”

Darcy looks over to her baby and feels her heart restrict at the thought and possibility of going out for a simple food run and not returning. “Yeah. Thanks.”

He tilts his head and reaches out for an m&m. “How do mornings before work sound.”

“Yeah, no way,” she bursts out, almost laughing in his face. “I have a twelve week old and pretty much take care of two scientists. Maybe during lunch?”

“Sure.”

They finish off the movie and the next day at lunch, after Darcy has spent some time at the daycare with Avery, finds herself in the gym. Clint puts her through easy circuits to build muscle and then begins on easy self-defense maneuvers. She starts seeing him around the tower more, he always manages to show up whenever she’s cooking. So a dinner for one becomes dinner for two with Clint. Sometimes Bruce drops in on them, or Steve joins, and there’s always extra food to go around.

Two weeks into their training Clint shows up to the daycare when Darcy’s late for their training session. He finds them in the daycare, Darcy curled up on one of the couches in the corner holding Avery tightly to her chest. Tears are in her eyes and they obviously aren’t happy ones, the way she tries to fight them off. Clint sighs, walking over and wraps one arm around her in a comforting hug.

“Pack up the kid, we’re getting street meat for lunch.”

Ten minutes later they’re sitting on a park bench with a hotdog in hand. Avery’s asleep in her stroller, sitting in the shade and looking so at peace. Darcy tilts her head back, feeling the hot sun on her face. The tears are still threatening to fall but Darcy fights them back, not wanting to ruin the beautiful summer day. She briefly wonders how she can be feeling so low and everyone else continues on their day unaffected.

Clint scarfs down his hotdog, Darcy taking a little longer to finish hers off. He manages to pull a small chuckle from her when he turns to her with a smudge of mustard on his chin. Darcy shoves a napkin at him, shaking her head as he pouts and rubs off the yellow stain. She finishes off her hot dog, savoring the treat that she rarely indulges in. One of her favourite things about New York is the food, from the wide range of different cultural cuisines to pizza and street meat. Food is clearly the way to her heart.

“Wanna talk about it?” Clint asks, sipping on his lemonade.

Darcy ducks her head, letting her hair fall in a curtain around her face as she feels the tears well up again. Clint is patient, letting her gather her thoughts. She takes a deep, shuddering breath and tells him everything.

“I got a call this morning that a friend passed away the night before.” Clint squeezes her hand, giving her comfort. Darcy looks up across the park to where children were playing. “I didn’t even know he was sick.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We weren’t really that close. A million NDA’s and alien attacks, it kinda tears you apart from your friends. I can’t talk to any of my friends about everything I’ve been through, it feels isolating.”

Clint wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side. “Hey, we’re your friends. You can talk to any of us about it.”

Darcy could argue that they have other things to worry about beside her, that they all have their own baggage to worry about. She’s quick to squash down that thought, remembering what Steve had told her a month ago to let them in. Clint gives her another squeeze when she doesn’t respond, and it’s the type of embrace Thor offers full of comfort and understanding. 

“Thanks, Clint.”

“No problem, kid,” he winks.

On the way back to the tower, Darcy thinks about what Clint said earlier. She’s not alone and she does have friends in the tower. She’s expanding her horizons, making friends with the avengers even though it scared her. Steve was right, the avenges are definitely people she wants to have her back and like Clint proved today, they look out for her.

-  
“Put some pants on,” Darcy demands, standing at the edge of Tony’s lab with a takeout container of food in her hands.

Tony perks his head up from where he’s working on the suit. “Huh?”

“Put some pants on,” she repeats. “I don’t need to see your skinny legs.”

Tony looks down at his legs, realizes he in fact not wearing any pants and grabs at the holey jeans just a few feet away. “You’re in my lab, Lewis. Why?”

“Lunch.”

“Not hungry.”

Darcy strides across the room and practically shoves the takeout container under his nose and onto his work space, placing a set of plastic knives and forks on top. “The last time you ate was ten hours ago. So eat.”

“Fine,” he grumbles, moving to a lab table and shoves a few papers out of the way.

Something catches her eyes about the papers. They aren’t drawings or his messy scrawl which usually accompanies all the surfaces of his lab. These were neat type, paragraphs filled with legal jargon. She picks them up, a good handful, and begins to read. It’s not good and the date stamps back a week.

“Have you read this?”

Tony scrunches his brow, trying to get a look at the small font. “No, it’s of no use to me. I don’t even know how it got down here.”

“Tony,” she says seriously, grabbing his attention. “This is from legal. You’re being sued.”

“No I’m not,” he replies, already disinterested.

Darcy continues to read the documents, grabbing a pen from the clutter of his desk and begins making notes. There’s so many inconsistencies. This person claiming that Tony is the father of their son, though the birth dates back almost a decade. It doesn’t make sense that they would be bringing this up now, ten years later, if there wasn’t an ulterior motive.

“Sir, if I may, you are being discussed on the national news at this moment,” JARVIS chimes in.

“Play it, J,” Darcy demands, knowing what’s about to transpire.

“He’s my son’s father! Look at the similarities. All I want is for my son to know his father and I’ve heard nothing back from Tony. For the past ten years I’ve been trying to make contact, it’s sad that it’s had to come to this.”

Darcy laughs outright when she sees the picture of Tony and the ten year old boy being compared on the screen. The woman is of dark complexion and so is the son, sharing the same skin tone and eye colour. There’s not one ounce of Tony in that kid.

Tony looks shell shocked, his mouth opening and closing with nothing coming out. “I’ve never seen that woman in my life!” He takes a deep breath, his surprise returning to a stoic mask. “Pepper’s out of town, why am I just hearing about this now?”

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to discuss some things with the legal department. None of this makes sense.”

She heads to the elevator, looking back at Tony who’s looking at the silenced news channel. “Eat your lunch and get back to work!” Darcy yells across the lab, eliciting a smile from Tony. He shoots her a salute and digs back into his noodles.

Darcy spends the next few days digging into this story. The legal department for such a big company is looking like a bunch of toddlers, and she wonders how they let this get out of control. Darcy searches back ten years for both parties, around the possible time of conception. This is one of the times her hacking skills come in handy, for Tony it’s easy, headlines from his party days put him in the Dubai. The woman was in college, Maryland of all places, which definitely was not the same place as Tony.

She collects all the information she needs and drops it off with legal. They’ve demanded a paternity test just to be sure but they all know the woman is lying. She gives them a suggested press release, bringing into the account their unshared history and the woman’s credibility. Darcy may have dug up information that this woman was seventy-five thousand dollars in debt, a quarter of what she was suing Tony for. 

By the time Pepper returns home it has all blown over. She was stranded in Los Angeles at an important meeting with investors, which ended up turning into a rescue mission with Tony’s name being run through the mud. Tony gifts her free reign of his lab, to come in whenever she pleases, which is not something he gifts to everyone.

Darcy has a surprisingly quiet lunch time so she spends it in her apartment with Avery. Clint is on a mission with Natasha so there’s no training. She weirdly misses her training with Clint but doesn’t pass up the opportunity of a free apartment and extra time with her daughter. She’s already fed Avery and is making herself a sandwich.

The apartment is hardly ever empty. Thor’s always home and his voice carries in the large open concept apartment. Today he had taken Jane out to lunch, giving Darcy the extra alone time with her daughter. She was humming softly to Avery, who was settled into a sling on her front allowing her use of both hands while keeping the baby close. She had just sat down when there was a knock on the door.

Darcy opens it slowly, unsure of who she expects to see on the other side but it definitely wasn’t Pepper Potts. She was standing in a crisp pressed white pencil skirt and pale blue blouse, pin straight strawberry blonde hair. Darcy felt inadequate, standing there in jeans and tank top with a baby strapped to her front.

“Hi, Pepper.”

“Hello, Darcy. I was wondering what your plans were for the afternoon?”

“Uh, my plans?”

Pepper smiles, “yes, I was hoping we could discuss a few things.”

Darcy’s eyes widened, knowing exactly what Pepper wanted to discuss. “I’m not fired am I? Because I know I overstepped but that woman went to media outlets and was lying. I may have hacked into a few places I shouldn’t have but it was for Tony! I swear. Please don’t fire me, I’m starting to like it here.”

Pepper smiles, her light eyes shining with amusement. “Let’s sit down, shall we?”

Darcy nods, leading her to the couch. She pulls Avery from the sling and settles her on her lap, she doesn’t feel guilty at all for using her child as a buffer. If Pepper was going to fire her, she was going to have to do it while Darcy held her infant child in her arms. No one would be able to fire a single mother with a baby and that she was sure of.

“She’s gotten so big,” Pepper notices, reaching out and taking Avery’s little hand in hers. “Three months, right?”

“Yeah,” Darcy smiles, trying to relax.

“How is everything working out around here? I’ve been away these past few months and haven’t been able to get catch up. Are you liking it? Is everything meeting your needs?”

“Yeah, it’s amazing. I love living here and I think Avery does too.”

“Wonderful. May I hold her?”

“Sure,” Darcy answers, holding the baby out to Pepper.

Avery goes quietly, settling into Pepper’s hold. She stares down at the pearl necklace around Pepper’s neck, bating at it lightly as she tries to grab hold of it. Pepper just laughs, sitting the baby on her lap and out of reach from the pearls.

“My nephews have tried to strangle me a few times when they were younger, I’ve learned my lesson,” she regales, a reminiscent smile on her lips. “Now let’s get down to business. I’ve got a proposal for you.”

“I’m really sorry, like I said-”

Pepper laughs, cutting her off. “You’re not fired, Darcy. I’m actually rather impressed by your actions this past week, legal or not. I can see why Tony admires you as much. I was planning on offering you a job.”

“A job?”

“A job,” she agrees. “How do you feel creating and running a PR team for the avengers?”

Darcy chews on her lower lip, hands twisting in her lap. She really doesn’t want to stay as Jane’s intern as a permanent position but she has plans and there’s a large possibility those plans may fall through. “I don’t know,” she finally says, nervous to say no to Pepper Potts. “I’m waitlisted at Columbia Law School.”

Pepper lights up, “really? Your goals are to become a lawyer?”

“Yeah. I’m just waitlisted though so I may not even get in for this upcoming fall intake. I love the idea of your offer, it’s very generous, I just don’t know if I can take it.”

“Hmm,” she hums, thinking things over. “How about I keep this job on hold for you? If you’re removed from the waitlist then perfect, I’ll be happy for you. If you’re not then you will have a job waiting for you. What do you say?”

“That’s an amazing offer. Thank you so much, Pepper, I think I’ll take you up on it.”

“Perfect.” She shakes Pepper’s hand, feeling a sense of pride wash over her. “Now how about we go shopping?”

“Shopping?” This day was turning out weirder than expected, and that was saying a lot when she worked for Jane and sometimes Tony Stark.

“Are you needed in the labs?” Pepper questions, already standing up.

“Uh, no, Jane’s out with Thor and I fed Tony about half an hour ago,” she answers.

“Well, pack up. It’ll be us three girls and we’ll make an afternoon of it.”

Darcy really couldn’t argue with Pepper, so she packed up a diaper bag and the stroller. Pepper placed the baby inside, Avery already falling asleep from Pepper’s gentle rocking. Darcy quickly learns that Pepper is a force to reckon with when she’s shopping, and she’s persuaded into trying on countless adult clothes. They shop for baby clothes as well and Darcy never pulls out her card once, Pepper just smiles and tells her Tony can pay for it.

Darcy admires Pepper as a businesswoman. She’s savvy and headstrong, a force within the office. Outside, in the real world, she’s down to earth and so kind. She’s funny and Darcy finds herself laughing at all the things Tony has done in the past, the woman has twelve years’ worth of stories. So really, spending an afternoon with Pepper was not what she expected but it was enjoyable none the less.

-

“Surprise!” The room full of people shout out, startling Steve who had just stepped off the elevator.

Darcy springs forward, placing Avery into his arms. “You can’t get mad with the baby in your hands, it’s a rule.”

Steve quirks his head, looking down at the baby then back up at the room as he takes in his surroundings. Avery was dressed in a little white and blue shirt with red tights and tutu, looking something like Captain America’s uniform, Darcy was proud of the little outfit. Steve smirks when he takes it all in, “This your doing?”

Darcy’s not sure if he’s referred to the dressed up baby or the common floor which is decorated in red, white, and blue (thanks, Tony), and a large banner hanging from the ceiling. “Yup!”

“Happy birthday, man,” Sam says, clapping Steve on the back.

“My birthday was a month ago.”

“Yeah but you weren’t here so we’re celebrating it now,” Darcy explains, leading him into the room.

There was surprisingly a large amount of guests, all of whom Steve knew. Coulson was there with his team, vets from the local VA, Sharon, the team, Pepper, Rhody, and even Hill. It took two weeks to plan the thing and she’s happy with the turn out. Steve was out doing Captain America press, tied up in D.C. during the Fourth of July and his birthday that he most likely went without celebrating. 

“You planned all this?” He asks Darcy, dropping his head so she could hear him over the music that started to play.

“Yup!” She beams up at him. “You were off being Captain America. I’m a firm believer in birthdays, so you need to go celebrate.” Steve couldn’t stop staring at her, still looking shocked. “You’re not mad are you?”

“What? No! Thank you, this is, no one has ever done something like this for me,” he stutters. “Thank you, Darcy.”

“No problem.” She grabs Avery from his arms, practically shooing him away. “Now go mingle.”

She forces Steve into the room to go talk with his guests. Darcy retreats to the kitchen to finish setting up the platter of fruits and vegetables. Clint’s out on the attached terrace grilling burgers and hotdogs. Jane’s helping mix up some lemonade and Tony is creating an alcoholic beverage mixed with too many types of alcohol to be safe.

Thor sweeps in and takes Avery into his arm. He’s surprisingly good with the baby and is one of her go to babysitters, only when Jane is too busy in the lab. The two are outside, soaking in the sun and talking with Pepper. Tony has a drink in his hand and is trying to get Avery to notice him, but her attention is firmly latched onto Thor’s long hair as she tugs at it.

Darcy makes her rounds. She tries not to bug Coulson too much about her iPod because that’s ancient history, though she’s a little mad she had to pay for a new one. She talks to Skye about hacking styles, a subject that Coulson clearly did not appreciate and ducked out rather quickly. She meets Sharon, a woman who was pretty kick ass and had been there for the whole downfall of SHIELD, she was one of the few helping to rebuild.

She helps herself to the selection of food she picked out, all reminiscent of a Fourth of July barbeque platter. Since Steve’s birthday was on the holiday, with a little persuasion from Tony, the theme had run a little wild. She also made sure her daughter was satisfied, feeding and changing her when she got fussy before handing her off again, ensuring Tony was never left alone with the baby.

She just needs a break to collect her thoughts and finds herself staring out onto the patio, watching Thor gesture wildly through a story. Avery has her head perched on his broad shoulder, his arm bracing underneath her bottom as she sleeps. The baby is half of Thor’s torso and she looks so small in comparison to his body, much the same as when Steve hold holds her. He’s careful not to jostle her, moving his other arm in gesture but in careful movements.

“Cute kid,” someone says, and it’s then Darcy realizes she’s been standing on the edge of the common room looking out onto the party scene before her.

She startles back, looking beside her and finding someone she’s heard a lot about. “You’re Sam Wilson, the Falcon.”

He just laughs, eyes crinkling. “I am. Nice to meet you, Darcy Lewis.”

Darcy shakes his offered hand. “I’m a huge fan of your work.”

“And I’m a fan of yours.”

“My what?”

“Your program you designed for Steve, it’s actually really amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he says.

“Tony helped,” she deflects, trying to be modest.

“I don’t think you’ve realized how much you’ve helped him.” Sam tilts his head towards Steve who was standing at the grill with Clint, looking at ease. “Not just with your illegal hacking program, but talking to him and allowing him to open up in ways he can’t do around us.”

“I don’t-how do you-I”

Sam chuckles, “we talk. It’s alright, Darcy. I can see why he trusts you.”

“Thanks,” she breathes out.

“See you around the tower? Maybe we can talk or you can show me how you made that amazing lasagna.”

Darcy laughs, head falling back and relaxing, “yeah, for sure.”

Sam gives her a soft smile, taking off towards the kitchen and straight for the lemonade. Darcy walks out onto the patio and slides up to Steve, bumping his shoulder with hers. “Everything okay here?” She asks, knowing the two of them were arguing on the perfect temperature for grilling.

“Yeah. Just teaching Cap here a few things,” Clint breaks in, smirking at Steve.

Steve rolls his eyes, grabbing the plate filled with cooked hamburgers and taking them inside. Darcy follows him. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, thank you for this, Darcy. It was exactly what I needed.” He places the plate down on the kitchen island, pulling Darcy in for a hug. She settles into his embrace, feeling his grip tighten around her as he breaths out. He regretfully pulls back, the moment broken too soon, when his phone chirps with an alert.

Darcy steps back and watches his face closely. His schooled expression drops and there’s a spark of hope and excitement. “That was a location on Bucky,” he explains, looking up and meeting her gaze.

“Go!” She demands, giving him a push in the right direction.

The long lost friend had finally surfaced and her program actually worked. Steve nods furiously, stuffing his phone back in his pocket and looking through the room for Sam. He finds the man and he quickly says his goodbyes to everyone in the room, claiming a work emergency, and he’s off.

The party quickly winds down after Steve leaves. It’s early evening and everyone who doesn’t live in the tower slowly filters out one by one. Avery had somehow ended up with Clint, who was staring up at him and laughing. Natasha was sitting beside him showing little interest in the two. The woman was the last person Darcy had yet to introduce herself to and that was likely due to the fact that she was an assassin and spy, she’s seen what Natasha can do with her thighs.

Darcy helps Pepper and Jane pack up. Tony and Bruce had gotten into a game of Mario Kart, cursing loudly when someone uses a blue shell. Darcy knows the party was a success because it got Steve to relax for a little while and take a step away from being Captain America and the guy looking for his missing friend. It was also an opportunity for the team to bond and spend some time together while not on a battlefield.

At some point she gets her baby back and settles outside on one of the patio chairs staring up at the sky. She has a soft blanket keeping her and Avery warm, the air from the height of the building adding a little wind. This was something she missed about New Mexico, the quietness of the desert and sitting outside with Jane and stargazing. There’s no stars but just being enveloped in the darkness of a cool night is enough.

Darcy’s halfway asleep when someone joins her, occupying the chair next to her. She assumes it’s Jane and doesn’t bother to open her eyes, though a throat clears. Darcy’s slow to peak an eye open, catching sight of fiery hair and is shooting up in her seat. She’s face to face with Natasha, a woman who she’s barely said two words to in her four month stay. 

“Hello,” Darcy greets lowly, shuffling back against the lounge chair.

“I was skeptical of the party at first but it was a good idea,” Natasha says, bypassing the greeting altogether. “He needed to forget things for a night and to be himself.”

Darcy thinks there’s a compliment in there somewhere. “Uh, thanks?”

“He carries the world on his shoulders, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Darcy nods. “Another friend on his side is what he needs right now.”

When she looks at Steve she sees that he’s lonely, how everyone wants a piece of him. Darcy just wants to provide some kind of support, to be a friend, and be on his side. Natasha is look at her with a studying gaze, her green eyes sharp and lips pursed. Though Natasha had just thanked Darcy for the party and all she’s done for Steve, in her own confusing way, there’s still a coldness there. As if the woman still doesn’t trust Darcy.

Natasha nods, satisfied, and gets up to leave. Darcy stops her. “You don’t like me very much do you?”

Natasha moves back to the empty lounge chair, perching on the edge of it and facing Darcy. “I don’t know you.”

“You haven’t made an effort to know me.”

“I’ve been busy,” Natasha argues, biting back.

Darcy knows she also hasn’t put in an effort, Natasha’s not the only one to blame. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”

The redhead shakes her head, a hint of emotion in her green eyes. “You bring up memories from home that I try to forget.”

Darcy feels her heart drop and her breath catch in disbelief. “How?”

“I was married once. What I wanted more than anything with my husband was a child and I couldn’t give him that. The red room took that away from me, just like they took my husband away from me.” Her voice is so raw and timid, not the fearless woman Darcy’s always pictured her as. “Your daughter is beautiful but reminds me of things I cannot have.”

“I’m sorry, Natasha, I didn’t mean-” She holds up her hand and Darcy pauses mid-sentence.

Natasha fingers at the arrow necklace sitting above her collarbone, a feature she’s never noticed before. Darcy knew there was a connection between her and Clint, though she suspects it’s more intimate than they let on.

“I have pushed these feelings away for years now that sometimes I forget that a future as such has been ripped away from me without choice.”

Darcy feels her heart ache for the woman. Womanhood is constantly linked to motherhood, and to have one taken away like she has, it has to be painful. She feels guilty, though she has no reason to. “I’m sorry, Natasha.”

The other woman manages a small, but tight, smile. “Do not apologize for things you cannot help.” She pauses, looking down towards Avery. “You have a beautiful daughter. If I may ask, are you sure this is the environment you wish for your daughter to grow up in?”

Darcy feels taken back but the directness. She’s been living in the tower, with the avengers for almost four months now. Clint was teaching her self-defense should any harm come to her. Avery had people that cared for her, more than just Jane and Thor, but in Tony, Pepper, and Bruce. The tower felt like the safest place in the world to her.

“You think I’m putting her in harms way,” Darcy deadpans, knowing where Natasha was going with this.

“I grew up in the red room, my childhood was not one I would wish on anyone. You control your daughter’s surroundings, and being in this tower and having relationships puts a target on both of your backs.”

Darcy lightly squeezes Avery on her lap, the thought of harm coming to her makes her heart ache. “It’s not a choice I made lightly,” she says, looking up at Natasha. “Jane and Thor are all I have left, I want her to grow up around family. Danger is everywhere, it showed up in the middle of the New Mexico desert. It could easily be argued the safest place is with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

Natasha nods once and gets up to leave. “You make a fair argument. It’s important for you to know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Ride or die, right?” Darcy calls out, halting the redhead at the sliding doors leading into the common room. “I’m all in, Natasha.”

Natasha smiles, just a flash of teeth so small and quick that she almost misses the action. “Meet me at the gym tomorrow after lunch, I’ll take over your training.”

Just like that she’s gone, leaving Darcy in a mess of emotions. She knows Natasha is weary, it’s understandable, but she thinks she won the woman over. Before she can even thing too much about it, Clint pops up out of nowhere, taking the vacated seat beside her. He’s looking solemn, brows furrowed and grey eyes heavy.

“How much of that did you hear?”

Clint doesn’t wince but his body tenses and he looks guilty. “All of it.” He relaxes and smiles. “She doesn’t hate you. Tash is just finding who to trust, after SHIELD and everything.”

Darcy nods, things slotting into place from the way Natasha has kept her distance to the conversation she just had. “So she doesn’t trust me.”

“She will, you just gotta prove yourself.” Clint laughs when Darcy feels her face scrunch up in confusion because how on Earth do you get a spy to trust you? He reaches out and takes Avery from her arms, “don’t think too much about it. You up for some Mario Kart?”

A smile overtakes her face, “I’m always up for some Mario Kart!”

“Good, we need someone to beat Tony.”

Darcy follows Clint back inside, plopping down beside Tony and grabbing a free controller. It turns out that beside Clint she’s the only one who can challenge Tony at the game. Pepper comes close and Bruce gets frustrated and his heart rate elevates so he quits halfway in. Jane doesn’t care for video games and Thor merely plays for fun when he actually gets a turn. Steve is helpless and when Natasha is around one of the few to deflate Tony’s ego, along with Darcy.

Tony sets up rainbow road and the two get into a heated race. Jane and Thor are cuddled up on the love seat adjacent, Pepper reading a book beside Tony. Clint occupying Avery across the room, attempting to get her to play with nerf arrows. Darcy relaxes into the couch, enjoying the game and the energy surrounding her.

When she loses by a nose length and takes Tony’s victory lap and gloating, Darcy realizes that this is exactly where she wants to be. There’s no place she’d rather be but surrounded by friends and family. She loves living in the tower, she loves living with Jane and Thor. The others are starting to grow on her, especially Tony, and it’s starting to feel like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what'd you think? What do you want to see next?


	7. let me be there for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: this is a filler chapter and i know nothing about babies (it's all googled, so please take things with a grain of salt-it's all for the plot). Also, I see Darcy as my best friend and I only want the best for her and so that's why she's going to law school. I'm fitting that arc into my story, please be patient with it, because I am creating a backstory/reasoning why she would even want to be a lawyer. She has a degree in political science so a laywer isn't too far off and don't we want the best for our characters? Plus, I do want to explore other careers for her instead of the generic lab assistant. Thank you for all the comments, I read them all and take them to heart, they mean a lot. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter.

Steve manages to find Bucky within two weeks of Darcy’s program targeting and tracking him. He followed him across Brazil and finally makes contact with his best friend. Bucky looks haggard, long hair and dirty clothes, but refused to come in with him. It takes everything in Steve not to knock him out and drag him back to the tower.

He just needs more time. His memories are coming back and the last thing he wants is Steve around to witness the nightmares and the confusion. Steve, on the other hand, really doesn’t care, he just wants his best friend back. Sam reasons with him, asking Bucky to at least make contact when he’s ready and he actually agrees.

Steve returns to the tower feeling a little defeated. He replays the conversation with Bucky in his head on constant repeat. Taking in the way he looked and his hair hanging in front of his face, his dirty clothes, but there was something in his eyes that he couldn’t deny. They weren’t blank and emotionless as they were on that bridge but rather had life in them. Steve knew his friend was in there somewhere it just pained him to back off when all he wanted to do was help.

It’s easy for Steve to fall back into old habits, taking his frustrations out in the gym. Nothing quiets his mind, not hitting any punching bags, wearing out the treadmill, or lifting weights. His mind is still whirling and he needs something, anything, to take his mind off Bucky. He retreats to the common room for some breakfast, his kitchen always empty and devoid of any nutritious ingredients.

It takes Steve way longer than he cares to admit to make a pile high plate full of protein pancakes and the greenest smoothie. He’s almost done his breakfast when he realizes how quiet the common room is, the lack of noise and commotion is a little unsettling. For the year that he’s been living in the tower he has grown used to the loudness, whether it’s from Tony or Thor or the constant commotion which comes from many people sharing the same facilities.

The elevator dings, alerting someone’s arrival and Steve perks up in his seat at the dining room table. The edge of kitchen cuts off the elevator entrance so he doesn’t see who’s entering the floor but rather hears grumbling as the person steps out of the elevator.

“For a tower that’s full of people living here, it always feels so damn empty.”

Steve chuckles. “Hey, Darcy.”

“Steve!” Darcy exclaims as she rounds the corner, her face lighting up as she closes the distance between them. “Did you notice how quiet it is in here?”

“Yeah, I did. Y’know where everyone is?”

“Pepper’s on a business trip so Tony won’t be coming out of his lab for the next thirty hours unless forcibly removed. Jane and Thor are off planet. I think Clint mentioned a mission with Nat? Bruce is busy in his lab working on something important, I managed to sneak him a sandwich before being snowballed by interns.”

Steve hums, now knowing why the tower is so isolated. “So if Jane’s away, do you get the day off?”

“Sadly no. It’s actually why I’m here,” she says, biting her lip. Her eyes dart from him down to the baby in her arms and over to the clock on the wall.

“What can I help you with?” He questions, leaning back in his chair, settling in.

Darcy takes a deep, audible breath. “Thor surprised Jane this morning with a trip to Asgard, he forgot it was their day to watch Avery. I have orientation at Columbia today, and I don’t know why they would hold it on a Saturday, but they did! And I don’t want to be known as the girl who just got off the waitlist and who brought her baby.”

“Columbia? Law School? You Got in?”

“Yeah!” She exhales a shaky laugh. “I got in.”

“Congratulations, Darcy,” he says, standing and pulling her into a hug. He knows how much she wanted this and how hard she worked. This was her chance and Steve was willing to help her in any way he can. Darcy relaxes into the embrace but quickly pulls back, ready to convince him.

“Seriously, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency, but I really have no other options. Not saying you’re the last option, it’s just Thor’s my babysitter usually. You’ve been around her, and didn’t you mention once you had experience with kids?” She asks, her speech rapid with panic.

“Well, yeah, but that was seventy years ago,” he tells her. Even though it sounds like so long ago, it feels like yesterday when Steve helped Bucky babysit his three younger sisters.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m desperate. Please, Steve.”

“Hand her over, Darce, I got this,” he finally replies, even though he was in when she first began her ramble and knew where she was going with things.

Steve reaches out and slowly takes Avery into his arms, Darcy willingly letting go. The baby stirs from her sleep, blinking up at Steve but he places her against his chest and she promptly rests her head on his shoulder. His skin tickles when she lets out a little puff of air against his neck, Steve smooths a hand down her back and brings the offered blanket around her.

“Okay. Jarvis will let you into the apartment no problem. Breastmilk is already in bottles in the fridge, her schedule is hanging on the fridge along with instructions on how to operate the bottle warmer and all the important phone numbers. She’s a little clingy so if she doesn’t fall asleep for her naps then just lay down with her and she’ll fall right asleep,” Darcy instructs, taking a deep breath and regains her composure.

“It’s just for a few hours so I can get everything set up and grab my books. If you survive, I’ll make you the best dinner and feel free to text me if you need anything!” Darcy continues.

Steve nods, “got it. I think we’re good here.”

“She’s due for a nap in half an hour.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

Darcy looks down at her watch, eyes growing wide in shock. “Shit, I’m going to be late.”

She looks up at Steve, studies him and then Avery who’s snuggled into his arms looking rather content. Darcy coos, reaching out and running her hand down her daughter’s back. Steve notices she’s fighting with herself to try and leave but can’t bring herself to it.

“Darcy?” He questions when she spends a moment too long admiring her daughter.

“Right! I’m going.”

Steve walks her to the elevator, Darcy reluctantly getting in. He and Avery wave goodbye as the doors close and then he’s alone. His breakfast is still sitting half finished at the table and his stomach growls in hunger, so he returns to his seat. Avery is perched on his knee, one arm wrapped around her midsection as he quickly finishes off the meal.

It’s a little awkward holding a baby in one arm and trying to clean up in the other. His torso is long so it’s not like the baby can rest on his hip so he holds her to his front and carefully maneuvers around the kitchen. When he’s finished, he notices Avery starting to fall asleep, head resting against his shoulder, and he makes his way up to Darcy’s apartment.

As directed, there was everything he needed on the fridge, very detailed instructions in simple terms for diaper changes to feedings. Steve quickly reads it over, and has a little difficulty heating up the bottle in the warmer but settles right into the nursery to feed the baby. It’s oddly relaxing, swaying slowly on the chair while feeding a baby that Steve feels himself grow tired.

Avery fusses when she finishes her bottle and this is something Steve remembers from the forties, so he places a cloth over his shoulder and pats her back to burp. Bucky had three sisters, Rebecca, Ada, and Iris, all significantly younger than the two of them. Iris was the youngest, still a baby when Steve and Bucky were teenagers. Raising a baby in this millennium is quite different but the basics are the same.

He places Avery into her crib and sets the mobile on, a soft song playing as the bunny’s circle above her head. Steve can’t resist brushing fingers over her soft hair, thumb running across her forehead in a soothing manner and her eyes slowly drift closed. There’s a book on baby development on the dresser, he picks it up and settles into the rocking chair. He knows there’s monitors and Jarvis available to help him out when Avery wakes, but he’s content to stay in the room with her.

The morning is pretty much smooth sailing after Avery wakes up from her first nap. He has a little bit of issues with changing the diaper, the disposable different and a little challenging than the cloth ones he was brought up in. When he pulls Avery up from the changing room, the diaper sags and he turns her around to get a good look.

“I don’t think Elmo is supposed to be on that side,” he mumbles to himself, setting the baby back down and putting the design to the front.

Steve ends up having to change her clothes since Avery projectile vomited on the outfit she initially had on. He finds an endless supply of iron man t-shirts and onesies and Steve knows this is all Tony’s doing. Underneath the pile of bright red and gold clothing is a shirt with his shield on it. There’s others added, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, style shirts all in varying sizes. Steve can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of such articles of clothing for babies, but when he places a romper with little miljoner pattern on Avery he can’t resist admitting that it was adorable.

He lifts Avery off the changing table once dressed, holding her out to get a good look. He’s added a little red bow to accent the white romper, the possibilities of accessories were endless. “Not too bad if I do say so myself,” he says to Avery, tickling her feet. She lets out a little giggle, fists waving and arms waving about. 

Satisfied in his accomplishments, Steve heads back to the common room. As Darcy has grown more comfortable around her new home, she’s started leaving Avery’s toys in various places. The common room, thanks to Tony, has all Iron Man designed toys, though there is slowly starting to trickle in some purple Hawkeye plush toys and a giant hulk. Steve grabs the packed diaper bag and throws a few bottles of milk inside and heads down to the common room.

It’s almost lunch time, so Steve sets Avery out on a play mat which dangles various stimulating toys while he makes a quick sandwich. Darcy stocks the fridge with lots of fruits once she found Steve gravitated towards the healthier food groups. The sandwich held all his favourite assorted meats and condiments. Once he’s settled onto the couch, plate resting on his knees, he works his way into Netflix and puts on Seinfeld.

Steve’s been in the new world for the past three years and it wasn’t until Darcy came along that he really started focusing his attention on television shows. He didn’t grow up with a television in his home, he knew what it was like to live without one so he never had an interest in catching up on movies and shows he’s missed. Darcy showed him what he was missing, and since their first movie night a few months ago he’s started to expand his horizons based on her suggestions.

Avery was satisfied with the play mat for all of thirty minutes before she began to fuss. Steve reaches forward and picks her up, settling her into his arms. He looks over to the clock and remembers it’s her feeding then nap time, so he sets about warming up a bottle. The warmer isn’t in the common room kitchen and he remembers the steps Darcy took to warm it up via the stove top and got to it.

It was rather easy to warm it up and though it took a little bit of time Avery began to cry, wanting to be fed that second. Steve had vivid memories of the last time he held a hungry Avery and really did not want a repeat of the incident. He bounced her in his arms while walking around the kitchen, mumbling things under his breath in hopes it was calming her down.

“We’re almost there, doll, just a few more seconds.” Avery snuffles, wiggling in his arms. “I know you’re hungry, just hold on.”

Thankfully, within minutes the bottle was ready and he settled down onto the couch and fed her the bottle. She gulps it down in record time and happily burps out any remaining gas. Steve’s finding this child care thing a piece of cake. That is until she starts crying again. Avery’s a quiet and happy baby, he knows this, so it’s hard to hear her cry out when she’s upset. It’s even more difficult when they can’t communicate what they want, which is what Steve is struggling with when he tries to put Avery down for a nap in the pack n play.

Her little arms wave up at him and her face scrunches up in displeasure. Avery’s pale face is red as big, fat tears roll down her face. Steve leans over her, his big hand rubbing her belly gently in hope to calm her down. She doesn’t and Steve feels at a loss on how to proceed.

“Hey, you need to calm down and go to sleep,” he tells her quietly. “Shh, you’re alright.”

The baby just wiggles and continues to cry. Steve feels his heart begin to hurt because he doesn’t know how to sooth her. He can’t take it any longer and picks her up, hugging her close as he bounces on the spot. The tears slowly stop and Steve takes a deep calming breath because all the crying was enough to rattle him.

When he goes to put Avery back down she begins to cry again. Steve closes his eyes, not quite frustrated but looking for a way to help the baby out. He knows he can go up to the nursery but he’s seen Avery take her naps in the pack n play rather happily. Steve briefly wonders if it’s him that she doesn’t like or if he’s doing something wrong.

“Captain Rogers, if I may interrupt?”

“Yeah, Jarvis?”

“I believe that she does not want to sleep in the pack n play,” the AI informs him. “Miss Lewis had suggested in her conversation with you before she left that Miss Avery may be fussy during her naps. She had advised that you lay down with her.”

Really, the AI should not surprise him as much as it does. He’s been here for close to a year, been in this century longer, but the advancement of technology was still astounding to Steve. “Thanks, Jarvis.”

“My pleasure, Captain.”

Steve looks at the hard floor then over at the crying baby. Then the couch catches his attention in the corner of his eye and that looks much more inviting. He lays down on the plush leather, his body taking up the length of it and settles Avery on his chest. She quiets right down, tears drying up and her breathing begins to slow. He plucks a pacifier off the coffee table and settles it in her mouth, the baby soothing herself down.

With one hand on her back, he settles down into the cushions with his head on a pillow. The television is still playing lowly, Netflix automatically turning to the next episode. He keeps an eye on the baby and listens to Seinfeld as it plays in the background, mostly to ensure that the baby doesn’t somehow roll off him and onto the floor.

What he didn’t predict was that the soft rhythmic breathing and the soft weight on his chest would send him to sleep. He was just so comfortable and feeling relaxed that his eyes slowly began to drift closed. Steve’s a light sleeper, possibly trained in him from the war and always needing to be awake at a moment’s notice, but every little sound wakes him up. It’s how he heard the elevator doors open.

“Damn, if this isn’t a sight,” Sam remarks, walking up to the couch and staring down at Steve.

He blinks slowly, looking up at him and trying to wake up. “What are you doing?”

“Figured you wanted to train, didn’t know you were on babysitting duty.”

Steve pulls himself so he’s sitting, giving Sam room to sit on the couch. Avery manages to sleep through the movement while he tries not to jostle her too much as he rearranges her so she’s comfortable in his arms. “Darcy had orientation and I was the only one around.”

Same nods, plopping down beside him. “She got into law school?”

“Yeah,” Steve answers. He knows she’s friends with everyone in the tower, had finally come out of her shell. Yet, he wonders when Sam had time to get to know Darcy when he was looking for Bucky with him, never in the tower for too long.

“Good for her,” Sam smiles. “So what are we watching?”

Steve looks over to the black Netflix screen asking if he was still watching. He clicks ‘yes’, and a new episode resumes. “Seinfeld. Darcy’s suggestion.”

“That’s a good choice. You should put The West Wing, MASH, and Jag on your list, maybe NCIS and all the CSI’s,” Sam suggests. Steve laughs, adding it to his list carefully while trying not to jostle Avery. “What else you got on there, man?”

Steve looks down and reads a couple shows off. “Parks and Recreation, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones. Really the list is so long it’s going to take me years to finish them all off.”

Sam laughs, settling back into the couch. “All good choices to get you caught up. Don’t forget the movies, they’ve put out some good ones since the forties.”

He waves his book, “I’ve got that list started too. Darcy’s given me homework while I’m hanging around.”

“She’s a good woman,” Sam hums.

“Yeah,” Steve agrees because really she didn’t need to help him out as much. She’s gone above and beyond what anyone would expect of her. She has a baby and works with two needy scientists and Bruce, yet she happily offered her time for regular movie and show maraton nights with him.

Avery wakes up in the middle of the second episode they watch and Sam takes over for a little while, keeping her occupied and playing with her on the floor. Steve makes them both a snack and even gets Avery’s bottle ready. Sam feeds her, surprisingly agile with the baby as he holds the bottle and baby with one hand and holds a banana in the other.

“What?” Sam shrugs when he catches Steve’s curious gaze. “I got nieces and nephews.”

Steve laughs and shakes his head in disbelief. He knew Sam almost inside and out, countless months spent on the road while looking for Bucky allowed that closeness. Of course Sam was a natural born talker and Steve had naturally allowed himself to relax and open up to the man. Still, there were some conversations they never ventured into and Steve wonders how family has never been brought up.

Somewhere before Avery’s next nap Tony comes waltzing into the common room, his hands surprisingly clean for once. His face lights up when he spots her and the look is so foreign but his zeroed in focus is not. He reaches out, practically pulling Avery from Steve’s grip. The baby fusses, struggles to be let down but Tony is having none of that.

“Hey, you know me. You’re favourite person, Tony. Remember?” He questions, his voice surprisingly calm.

Avery calms down, Tony bouncing her lightly in his arms and making faces at her. “Where’s Lewis?”

“Orientation,” Steve answers, watching him like a hawk. Darcy had entrusted her daughter’s well being and safety to him and he took that rather seriously.

“Why didn’t she ask me to babysit? And why did she ask you?”

“Because she trusts me,” Steve deadpans.

“I’m trustable.” Sam snorts and Tony gives him an indignant look. “Plus the kid likes me. Look.”

Tony then proceeds to hold the baby out, a goofy smile on her lips. He begins to bounce her around humming the opening theme from Star Wars. Avery giggles for a few seconds before she begins to scrunch her face up in displeasure and Steve knows that look.

“Uh, Tony, I don’t think that’s a good idea. She just ate and she doesn’t look too good.”

“Relax, Capsicle, we do this all the time.”

“Yeah but, Tony-” Steve doesn’t even finish his sentence because Avery is projectile vomiting across the hardwood floor and leaking down the front of her shirt and onto Tony’s hands.

Tony halts his movements, straightening the baby back upright, his eyes comically wide. He quickly hands the baby off to Sam, looking a little green. “Not my problem anymore.”

Steve takes the baby from Sam who is now crying, careful to not touch her messy and smelly shirt to himself. Sam gets up and grabs paper towel from the kitchen to clean up the mess on the floor. “I’ll go and clean her up then put her down for a nap. Want to spar after dinner?”

“Sure, man, just give me a call.”

Steve lets himself into Darcy’s apartment, slipping into the nursery. He’s not sure why he tries to be quiet and go unnoticed when there’s no one else on the floor. The baby smells rancid with spit up dripping down her and a dirty diaper. He’s thankful he can hold his breath for long periods of time, the stench coming off the little person was disgusting. 

He quickly changes her diaper and clothes, though the moment she’s placed in her crib she begins to fuss. Steve really doesn’t think he can listen to her cry again, so he settles her in his lap on the rocking chair. There’s a small pile of books beside the chair, all Dr. Seuss and he begins to read Green Eggs and Ham.

Now Steve was vaguely familiar with Dr. Seuss but this was the first time he’s read one of his books. It was lyrical and amusing, the words flowing off his tongue naturally. He rocks slowly as he reads, Avery falling asleep in his arms. Really, Steve could have stopped reading within reaching the first few pages but he was intrigued by the story.

Steve turns the page carefully, reading out loud to a sleeping baby. “You do not like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam I am.”

There’s a soft chuckle and cuts off Steve’s reading to find Darcy leaning against the door jam, staring down at him with a soft smile on her lips. “No, keep reading.”

His stomach flips and he can feel his ears turn pink in embarrassment. Darcy crosses the room, kneeling down at his side to read along with him with one hand reaching out and rubbing at her daughter's back. Steve clears his throat gently, his eyes catching on her bright eyes and messy hair before turning his attention back to the book.

Steve continues with Darcy at his side. He makes sure he includes the different voices as he was using before, Darcy laughing softly as he does so. The rocking chair remains firmly in one spot and the baby doesn’t even fuss or wake up. He’s now reading the book for himself and Darcy.

He flips to the last page, “I do so like green eggs and ham, thank you thank you, Sam I am.”

Steve closes the book, placing it down in the bin beside the rocking chair. He looks over to Darcy, lips pursed as he tries to make sense of that book. “That was interesting?”

“Yeah, these books make no sense but they’re my childhood so you gotta pass it on. Just wait until you read Cat in a Hat,” Darcy says, moving to stand up. She carefully picks Avery up and quickly transfers the sleeping baby into her crib, placing her on her back. The baby doesn’t flinch but rather melts into the mattress, letting out a soft sigh.

Steve stretches out his arms and back, feeling a little bit stiff from holding his position for so long. Darcy motions to follow her out, she grabs a monitor, and leads him to the living room. She falls right onto the couch, reaching her legs out and plopping them onto the coffee table. Steve takes a spot beside her.

“My feet are killing me.”

“How was the orientation?”

Darcy lets out a harsh sigh. “So long but so good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she smiles. “It’s exactly where I want to be. Being a lab assistant for the rest of my life isn’t realistic and Pepper’s job offer was an amazing opportunity but it wasn’t what I want.”

Steve turns his body so he’s looking at her. “What do you want?”

“To help people who can’t afford a lawyer. I want to do good in this world and it’s going to take a lot of hard work but I think I can manage it.”

“I think you can too,” he says, smiling at the thought of future lawyer Darcy helping those who need it. 

“Thanks,” she replies. “You up for a few episodes of Friends? I’ll cook you dinner after...”

Steve laughs, “How can I deny an offer like that?”

“You can’t,” Darcy chirps, setting up Netflix. “So how was Avery today?”

“Good. She ate, played a little, napped, threw up on Tony. Like any other day,” he tells her with an air of nonchalance.

Darcy bursts out in laughter, “she threw up on Tony?”

“Yeah, he was waving her around like she was the millennium falcon.”

“No way! That idiot, I told him not to do that. This isn’t even the first time,” she says, shaking her head. “Other than that she was good?”

“Yeah, not much trouble aside from putting her down for a nap.”

She settles back into the cushions, patting his thigh to encourage him to get settled in. Darcy looks up at him, “thank you for watching her. It means a lot that you would take time out of your day and baby sit for me.”

“Hey, whenever you need me I’m there for you.”

“Thanks,” she smiles. The theme song begins to play and she turns up the volume. “Quiet, the show’s about to begin.”

Steve smiles, settling down next to Darcy. He’s vaguely aware of their closeness and the heat she’s emitting. His attention is drawn to the television, yet every time Darcy laughs his eyes are drawn down to her and the way her mouth twitches up in a smile and her laughter so open and carefree.

He’s only caught once staring down at her but she doesn’t voice any complaints. Darcy sends him a wink and turns her attention back to the television. Steve doesn’t blush, can only smile as he follows her lead and watches the sitcom. It’s been a few weeks since they’ve had a marathon of the show but he remembers exactly where they left off. Ross and Rachel on a break.

Darcy had warned him some major angst was coming up. Steve didn’t believe her, the show was always laughter and light, never a dark moment but there was building jealousy in the relationship. Steve knew that something was going to happen and when Rachel calls for a break then shit really goes downhill.

He can’t tear his eyes away from the screen. Darcy watches with a sort of lazy appreciation, she knows what’s going on and laughs at all the jokes. Steve, on the other hand, is enthralled. This is the first time he’s watched the show and is utterly fascinated and loves the show, he watches with his full attention. As the episode progresses and moves on to the next, the following morning, he’s leaning forward and on the edge of the seat.

“Fuck Ross,” he mumbles under his breath, watching as the man tries to win back Rachel.

Darcy leans forward, “I beg your pardon.”

“Fuck Ross,” Steve repeats, turning on the edge of his seat to look back at her. “He doesn’t deserve her.”

“You’re damn right he doesn’t.”

He leans back again, trying to relax and stow his anger. This show just gives him a lot of feelings and he can’t contain any of it. “She worked so hard for that job and he just wants her to quit. Plus, he cheated. They were on a break, they didn’t break up! This is bullshit.”

“It’s just a show, Steve.”

“You’ve had fifteen years to adjust to this. Cut me some slack.”

“It’s cute. You have all the feels.”

Steve huffs, “when are Monica and Chandler going to get together?”

Darcy springs upright, hitting him on the arm. “Have you been on the internet reading spoilers?”

“What else am I supposed to do in my spare time?” He questions, unable to hide his smirk.

“Well stop because it’s going to ruin the show.”

He raises a brow questioning. “Are you not going to tell me when they get together?”

“Nope. I’m letting you suffer and be surprised like the rest of us.” She furrows her brow, pointing a finger at him. “And don’t go around lurking on the internet for spoilers.”

Steve holds his hands up in surrender, “alright, I won’t go lurking on the internet for spoilers.”

She smiles proudly at winning this round. “It’s just incentive for you to come back sooner so we can continue our marathons.”

He can’t really argue with her rationale because he likes their marathons. It’s just one night a week when he’s around the tower and she’s not working where they settle down together and get through a handful of episodes of Friends. Darcy had explained it was an integral part of his education and catching up to speed. Steve wasn’t a huge fan of television, it was something he could live without but he liked the time with Darcy. 

They get through a few episodes, ending on the ski trip. Steve had mostly calmed down about the whole Ross and Rachel thing. Darcy engages him in conversation, and he agrees with Rachel that a break doesn’t mean a break up while Darcy agrees with Ross that it does mean a break up. It’s friendly fire conversation, Darcy explaining that even if her partner asked for a break she wouldn’t go out with the first person who she set eyes on. Steve thinks that’s fair reasoning.

Darcy cooks fish tacos, Steve sits at the breakfast bar and he tells her all about Bucky. He doesn’t really want to talk about it but she looks at him so honestly and without judgement or reservation that he lets it all out. It feels good to talk to someone about it, someone who’s detached from the situation and just listens while he works out his emotions. She doesn’t tell him what to do or how to feel, just supports him by listening and it’s refreshing to have that support. 

They end up inviting Bruce, Tony and Sam up for dinner. Clint and Natasha join them halfway through their meal when Jarvis informs them all that they’ve returned safely from their mission. There’s surprisingly enough food plus some, something Steve teases her about it but Darcy laughs it off claiming she’s been living in the tower for months and she knows their habits.

Clint eats his dinner with Avery in his lap, Tony beside him and constantly trying to steal the attention of the baby. Darcy quietly chats with Bruce about work and offers more of her help. Sam is cracking jokes with Clint. Natasha, he’s noticed, has one eye on Clint as he tickles Avery’s tummy. There’s something in her eyes that he can’t decipher but she’s sporting a soft smile of fondness as she watches on. 

Steve takes in his surroundings. He feels content and happiness radiate through him. This is his family and though there’s an emptiness in his chest, he’s still missing Bucky. He can’t help but notice how easily he would fit into the tower and desperately wants that for his best friend. Steve gets the support he needs, something he wants to give Bucky but his friend constantly denies it.

Darcy catches his eye, raising a brow in question. He gives her a tight smile, hoping to satisfy her and show that he’s fine. She doesn’t buy it and gives him a smile in return that lets him know she’s there for him. Darcy has never really pushed him to open up about Bucky but he’s wanted to, the woman is easy to talk to and so open and forgiving. Steve is used to holding things in but with Darcy, when he remembers who he is and what he’s dealing with, he lets it all out.

He came home from a disastrous two weeks and run in with his best friend, feeling tense and at a loss. Yet, a day spent with friends has turned that all around. There’s still the feeling that he’s missing a limb and a place not filled but it’s dimmed temporarily. Darcy and everyone in the tower has given him a sense of home and belonging. He had a good day with Avery and Darcy and suddenly things were looking better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> any thoughts? anything you'd like to see in the future?


	8. let me take you out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and here's the chapter you've all been waiting for

“Step away from the stripes,” Darcy commands with an authoritative voice.

Steve turns around, offering a sheepish smile like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Darcy sizes up the grey dress shirt with black strips, the thing looking atrocious. He gently puts the shirt back on the rack, shoulders sinking in defeat. 

“Please tell me you weren’t seriously considering that shirt.” He takes a little too long to reply. Darcy grabs his arm and drags him away from the section of stripes. 

He stumbles after her, trying to navigate his way with his large frame through the thin aisles. Darcy looks over her shoulder, unable to hide her laugh when Steve trips over his own feet and barely manages to catch himself before taking out a rack of ties. She continues on her journey through the department store to the section of blue suits, the variety of colour catching her eye the moment they entered the store.

Steve had asked her for her opinion on a suit to wear to a charity gala. Darcy had aptly agreed because she loved shopping, especially for men because there was just so many options. He had claimed that he had grown out of his last suit and didn’t want to pester Pepper for her stylist, so he quietly asked her the night before to join him.

Darcy was going to let him lead the way and let him decide on what he wanted to wear to the dinner but she just couldn’t let it go. Steve had a habit of sticking to plaid flannel shirts and jeans or tight workout shirts, his style never straying from safe and ordinary. She had thought that three years out of the ice had allowed him to adapt to current fashion, the stripes said otherwise. Steve would thank her for taking over.

She stops at the racks of blue suits. There were royal, navy, true blue, and light blue-grey. Steve came to stand beside her, looking between the suits and Darcy, looking skeptical. “A blue suit?” 

She pulls one out randomly, holding a navy jacket up to him. “It's navy, but yes, blue. It’ll bring out your eyes.”

Steve looks over her shoulder at the mirror and the jacket pressed against his front. He’s still skeptical and Darcy knows he’d rather wear traditional black but he eventually gives in, smiling. “If you say so, doll.”

Darcy smiles up brightly at him. “Perfect!”

She leaves Steve to follow her as she buzzes in and around all the racks, pulling off different shades of blue jackets and handing them to Steve. She gathers the matching pants and then drags him to dress shirts, settling easily on white. A saleswoman tries to interrupt once but Darcy brushes her off in favour of her own opinion, she knew what she was doing.

Darcy practically pushes Steve into a changing room, tells him to show her each option. He does as he’s told, slowly hating the process but by the fifth suit he’s smiling and offering his own input. Steve stands at the mirror, Darcy behind him and judging the last suit. It’s a navy suit with brown buttons and a white dress shirt, the combination perfect and remains on the side of formal.

“I like it,” Steve says, sizing himself up in the mirror.

Darcy brushes down his shoulders, judging her handiwork. “I think this is the one.”

Steve meets her eyes in the mirror. “You got good taste, Darce.” He laughs when she beams up at him, proud of herself for her work. “I just have one more favour to ask.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Will you go to this thing with me?”

“You want me to go to a charity gala with you?”

“Please? It’ll be nice to have a friend by my side to talk me through it.”

“So take Sam or Natasha.”

“Darcy,” he says, tone wavering and eyes pleading. “Please.”

She really can’t say no to that look, he’s almost bordering on begging. She tries to make a feeble attempt at an argument, “The president is going to be there.”

“I know.”

“It’s in Washington.”

“I’ll borrow a quinjet, we’ll be there and back within the night. You’re not lacking on any babysitters either. Plus, Tony and Pepper will be there, so you’ll know at least three people.”

Darcy takes a second to think it over. Really, she’d be stupid to say no and she really doesn’t want to. It’s a big step outside of her comfort zone and there’s old insecurities ringing through her thoughts but she’ll be with Steve. He makes her feel safe and she knows he’s not going to let anything happen to her while there, hopefully that includes embarrassing herself in front of important people.

“I’ll go with you.”

Steve’s smile widens and he reaches out and hugs her, lifting her up onto her tip toes. Darcy scrambles and tries to find a balance but ends up falling into his chest, her hands gripping tightly to his shoulders. She takes a deep breath, the familiar scent of his aftershave calming her growing nerves.

Darcy reluctantly pulls away, unable to contain her smile because he just looks so happy. “I think I have a dress lying around.”

“We can always go shopping now for a new dress,” he offers.

“No, thank you,” she laughs, shaking her head frantically. “One shopping trip is enough for me.”

Now that his suit is chosen, a tailor pops up out of nowhere and makes the proper measurements and placing pins in fabric. When all is done, he picks out a dark navy almost black tie with Darcy’s approval. The shoes are last and it’s the one thing he decides on himself, finding a nice pair of brown leather shoes.

“You’ll be the hottest guy there,” she says as they pay for their selections.

Steve stills, blushes, and then straightens. “Nah, but I think I’ll have the most beautiful date.”

Darcy feels her stomach drop and do funny things from his intense focus on her. “You haven’t even seen my dress yet.”

“Don’t need to,” he replies, not taking his eyes off her.

The saleswoman from before clears her throat and breaks the spell, Steve ducking his head as he avoids the intense stare of the woman waiting to serve them. He hands over his credit card to pay, Darcy fiddling with her phone because she didn’t like the way the woman was sizing up Steve or sending Darcy death glares. Steve was oblivious but it didn’t bother Darcy, she knew how attractive Steve was and that he was Captain America, people tended to stare more times than not.

As they leave the store, minimal shopping bags in hand thanks to the suit being kept for tailoring, Steve suggests they go for frozen yogurt. It’s a hot day in September so Darcy readily agrees and steers Steve towards the closest shop to the tower, taking a seat on the outside patio with their dessert. They weren’t alone, the space crowded which allowed them to sit down without being bothered.

Steve had a black baseball cap on, pulled down over his eyes as a way of disguise. It’s almost pathetic how he gets away with it sometimes but Darcy really isn’t going to jinx their luck. Aside from the department store, they have had a relative Cap-free outing, something Steve probably appreciates. Darcy just loves having a day out on her own, some adult time away from school books and her baby, time for real conversation.

“How’s your fro-yo?” She asks, eyeing his very plain creation. Steve decided on vanilla, a safe bet with no toppings. Darcy has chosen a mixture of cookies and cream and birthday cake, topped with all the assortments offered.

“Good,” he nods, digging out a spoon full. “I wish they had this around when I was growing up. Ice cream was always too sweet and too expensive.”

Darcy feels her jaw drop with this new information. “You don’t like ice cream?”

“Nope,” Steve practically blushes, taking a bite of his dessert. “Not a huge fan of sweets.”

“No,” she gasps, horrified by this new piece of information. “So what do you eat for fun? Like when you’re sad? Do you even get any cravings?”

“I like those mixed berry muffins.”

“That is a travesty.”

Steve shrugs. “We didn’t have luxuries when I was growing up.”

“Okay, okay, that’s fair enough. Not everyone has a sweet tooth, I understand,” she replies, letting it drop but still not able to believe a human who doesn’t like sweets even exists.

“Thanks, doll. So how was your first week of school?”

Darcy groans, dropping her head into her hands. “I don’t even wanna think about it.”

Steve winces, “that bad?”

“I got lost twice, was late once, and showed up to class with spit up in my hair without even knowing. Everyone knows I was waitlisted, so I’m known as the girl who shouldn’t really be there because I was accepted last minute.”

He reaches out for her hand, squeezes it gently, and holds onto it across the table. Darcy looks up to meet his eyes, offering silent support. “I’m sure they don’t think of you like that.”

“I overheard one girl in the hall. Apparently, we’re still in high school,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s only motivation for me to kick their ass.”

“Good. Don’t let them get under your skin. If you ever need help sorting things out I can always come down to your school, talk to the bullies for you.”

“You wouldn’t,” she gasps in mock horror. 

Steve grins mischievously. “I would. Dressed in my uniform and give them a very long speech how Captain America doesn’t like bullies.”

Darcy tosses her head back and laughs at the mental image that brings up. “You’d look ridiculous and they definitely wouldn’t listen to you. But thanks for the offer.”

“Anytime.” He’s still holding onto her hand, his eyes softening. “You got to where you are on your own merits. You’ll do amazing things, Darcy, don’t listen to what they say. Alright?”

“That an order, Cap?”

“Advice from a friend,” he replies, squeezing her hand once before pulling away.

Darcy feels her stomach flip and she’s slightly disappointed that he’s pulled away. She smiles and nods once, turning her attention back to her melting frozen yogurt. It’s almost crazy to think how close they have grown in the five months she’s been at the tower. Granted, he was away for the first two months and often travelled for weeks at a time due to Captain America business but Steve started to seek her out more. Darcy wasn’t one to complain and was enjoying his company, looking forward to spending time together whether it just be to talk or to catch up on movies and television. 

They finish off their frozen yogurt and make a hasty exit when a young boy asks for Steve’s autograph, drawing more attention to Steve. Once he’s signed at least six napkins he gently pulls Darcy out onto the busy street, his hand at her back as they navigate their way back towards the tower. She trips over her own feet, gripping onto his arm and they both break out laughing at her clumsiness. Steve wraps an arm around her waist, holding her tightly to his side so she won’t trip again.

Darcy is so wrapped up in the heat of Steve’s body and his arm around her that she doesn’t notice people following them. Nor does she notice the few photographers who are camped out across the street from the tower just waiting for a million dollar picture of an avenger. Steve holds the door of the tower open for her and she blushes as she passes by him, her hand brushing his free one.

“Thank you for helping me shop,” Steve says once they enter the private elevator leading up to the avengers floor.

“No problem, it was fun,” she replies, smiling up at him. “I don’t even want to imagine what you would have chosen if I wasn’t there.”

“Pin stripes. On top of maybe a checkered shirt and a bow tie.”

Darcy hits his arm lightly at his teasing. “Shut up, you wouldn’t wear that.”

“You’ll never know, will you?” He smirks.

The elevator stops on Darcy’s floor and she steps off, saying a quick goodbye to Steve and promise to meet up later for a movie. It’s still early afternoon which means Darcy can knock out a few chapters of required readings for the upcoming week before dinner. The apartment is a little too quiet and when Darcy peaks over the back of the couch Jane is passed out on the couch with a journal covering her chest, the baby monitor clasped tightly in her hand.

Darcy passes by Jane, making sure to snap a quick picture and send it to Thor, going straight to the nursery. Avery is just beginning to wake up, big blue eyes blinking up at the ceiling with confusion. Her face scrunches up and just as she’s about to cry Darcy scoops her up, holding her daughter to her chest and breathing in that baby scent.

She collapses into the rocking chair and feeds her daughter, placing her feet up and reveling in the release of tense muscles. Darcy really didn’t expect that shopping trip to take so much out of her but it did and there’s nothing like sitting down and cuddling with her daughter after a long morning. Jarvis plays a soft lullaby which inevitably wakes up Jane as the music wafts through the monitor.

Jane appears in the doorway of the nursery as Darcy is burping Avery, her friend looking haggard even though just waking up from a nap. “Long night?” Darcy questions, raising a brow at the misshapen clothes falling off Janes slim frame.

“Yeah,” she yawns, pulling down her sleeves.

“Thanks for watching her this morning.”

Jane smiles, walking into the room and setting the monitor down on the dresser. “Anything for my favourite niece.”

Avery lets out a wet burp and the two laugh. Jane reaches out and Darcy hands off her daughter to her best friend, Avery settling right into the embrace. Darcy loves watching Jane and Thor interact with Avery, she’s never seen Thor so gentle or Jane so attentive. Jane will take breaks from science just to spend time with her niece and it surprised Darcy at first but Jane would do anything for Avery. Darcy appreciates her family more than she can express. 

“Did you two have a fun morning together?”

“Yes, we did,” Jane replies in a mock baby voice, smiling down at Avery as she bounces her lightly. “We had some breakfast, read about black holes, threw up on my favourite shirt, and had a nap.”

Darcy laughs, “at least she keeps her schedule.”

“She’s nothing like you, she’s very punctual.” Jane gives the baby a light squeeze before handing her back to Darcy. “If my auntie duties are up, I have things in the lab that need attending to.”

“You need any help down there?”

“Nope. You catch up on your readings and spend time with your daughter. Maybe you can drop by the lab in the morning.”

“Sure thing, Jane. Thanks for your help.”

Jane drops a kiss to Avery’s head and a quick hug for Darcy, “anytime.” She’s quick to slip out of the room, no doubt eager to get back down to the lab.

Darcy grabs her textbooks from her room and makes her way back out to the living room, giving Avery a few toys and placing her in her pack n play. She gets to work on her readings, her attention half on Avery and the other half on her textbook, but she can’t help think back to shopping with Steve or what dress she’s going to wear. The gala is two weeks away and she’s already a bundle of nerves and excitement.

-

“Are you sure I look okay?” Darcy asks, her hands brushing down the skirt of her dress nervously.

They were in the elevator down to the event, thankfully skipping the red carpet and line of photographers. Steve had flown them down to Washington via the quinjet, parking on a helipad on top of the building. Tony and Pepper had opted out of flying down with them, instead using Starks’ private jet earlier in the day. The whole situation was all foreign to Darcy but Steve’s presence calms her.

He looks down at her and smiles, “you look beautiful, doll.”

Darcy blushes, trying to wipe off imaginary dirt from her dress. Pepper had surprised her with a deep red dress that matched the color of her lipstick. It had a sweetheart neckline and was cut at a longer length, pooling loosely from her waist and stopping just above the floor hiding the silver heels beneath. Darcy isn’t surprised Pepper pulled such a beautiful dress from thin air, that woman is a goddess with a magic touch.

The elevator dings and Steve holds out his arm for her. “Ready?”

She nods once, steeling herself and willing away the butterflies of anxiety churning in her stomach. “Ready.”

Darcy slips her hand into the crease of his elbow, gripping tightly to Steve’s bicep and feeling his muscle flex under her hand. The doors slides open revealing bright lights that momentarily blind Darcy, letting herself be led into the large room by Steve. Things shift into place, bright chandeliers hang from the ornate ceiling, people milling about in the open space. Darcy catches sight of Tony at the bar and Pepper a few feet away making conversation.

“Take a deep breath,” Steve whispers as they step off the elevator.

Darcy does exactly that, and then another trying to gather her wits. She catches sight of the first lady and momentarily freaks out. Tugging at Steve’s arm, Darcy turns into Steve and her heels give her enough height that she can whisper into his ear.

“The first lady is here,” she practically squeals, hysteria in her voice.

Steve chuckles, “would you like me to introduce you?”

“No way, you can do that?”

“I can.”

“Shit.”

“How about a drink first? Help to calm any nerves,” he suggests, leading Darcy to the marble bar where Tony was trying to hide.

She lets Steve lead them across the room, thankfully not being interrupted by any politicians or businessmen. They had barely found a spot at the golden accented bar when Pepper sweeps Tony away, the billionaire sending Darcy a pleading look for distraction. She laughs, shaking her head in no way wanting to get in between Pepper in Tony.

Darcy orders water while Steve asks for scotch neat. When the bartender hands out their drinks, he looks at her questioningly. She takes a sip of water, her nerves making her thirsty. “I can’t really drink. Avery still has her night feedings and I only have so many bottles of breastmilk left.”

Steve hums in understanding, the tips of his ears going slightly pink. Darcy no longer feels embarrassed when talking about the needs of her daughter, Avery comes first and it’s something Darcy believes in strongly. She could have easily transferred her over to formula, with her long days at school and work, Darcy was determined to continue to breastfeed. The only thing Darcy misses is coffee, her caffeine intake cut down drastically since becoming pregnant.

Steve shifts beside her, his movements jerky and his Adams apple bobbing. “So how long until we can leave?”

“This was your invite.”

“I hate these things,” he says, tugging at his tie and knocking it askew.

Darcy sighs, placing her drink on the bar before reaching up and fixing Steve’s tie. “Take a deep breath, make a few rounds and conversation. We’ll dance a little and at a more reasonable time we’ll duck out.” He nods, going to pull at his tie again. Darcy taps his hand away. “And leave your tie alone.”

“Sorry,” he mutters, finishing off his drink.

“It’s a good thing you can’t get drunk.” Steve chuckles though it’s forced. “What are you feeling right now? Anxious?”

“Yeah.” Steve sighs as he looks out onto the expansive crowd which was only growing larger by the minute. He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up a little and Darcy keeps herself from fixing it back into place. “I don’t know what to say to these people. Everyone’s expecting Captain America, but I’m just Steve.”

Darcy understands, or at least tries to understand. “It’s all small talk at these things, right? So stick with FORD-family, occupation, recreation, and dreams.”

“That works?”

“Yup. If you ever feel like it’s too much just squeeze my hand.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.” She says, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze.

Steve rolls his shoulders back, standing up straight and readying himself. He doesn’t let go of her hand when he steps away from the bar, instead leading her gently into the crowd. Darcy herself readies herself for the onslaught of questions and conversation, hoping her outgoing personality plays a greater role tonight to help Steve out. 

Before even reaching ten feet out from the bar they are approached by the mayor of New York City. “Mr. Rogers, it’s a pleasure seeing you again!”

Steve forces a tight smile, extending his hand in a firm shake. “Mr. Sullivan.”

“And who is this lovely lady?” The man questions, his beady eyes roaming up and down Darcy’s figure. 

She wants to hide behind Steve, away from this man’s gaze. It’s nothing she hasn’t experienced before so she stands up a little straighter. “Darcy Lewis, sir,” she introduces herself. 

Sullivan quickly turns his attention back to Steve. “It’s wonderful to see you at such an event, it seems that you only show to those that are of utmost importance.”

“I try to make my appearances when I can, things have been a little busy lately,” Steve says.

Darcy notices the twitch of Sullivans’ lips, how it twists into almost a predatory and unpleasant smile. “I see. We missed you last year at the two year anniversary of the Battle of New York, it was a shame you were too busy to attend an event where they honoured the group of you.”

“With all do respect, sir, we were trying to offset an attack in D.C..”

“Another city destroyed at your hands.”

“Mr. Sullivan, the Battle of New York and the fall of SHIELD last year are circumstances beyond Steve’s control. I’m sure you don’t understand the weight and responsibilities that fall onto Steve’s shoulders. He does all he can to help the rebuilding of New York and the survivors, it is disrespectful that you say otherwise. As of D.C., it is ignorant to talk of things you know nothing about,” Darcy interrupts, shutting down the mayor. 

She couldn’t just stand by as this man was being disrespectful to Steve and implying false accusations. Mr. Sullivan lets out a huff of breath, lip snarling. “A pleasure as always, Mr. Rogers.”

They watch the man leave, turning on his heel and off to the next person. Steve rounds on her, coming to stand in front of her and not letting go of her hand. “You didn’t have to stand up for me, Darce.”

“He was being an arrogant ass! I’m sorry, I couldn’t stand by and let him walk all over you.”

Steve smiles, shaking his head. “You’re going to make a good lawyer someday.” He gives her hand a squeeze, and is looking down at her with all the honesty in his eyes. “If you can scare the mayor of New York City off with just a few words, imagine what you’ll do in a court room.”

“Thanks, Steve,” she puffs out her chest, feeling proud of herself. 

Tony slides up to them then, Pepper along side him. “Where was Sullivan running off to in a hurry? He looked like you just rejected one his ridiculous city proposals.” 

“Darce scared him off.”

“Atta girl!” Tony cheers, downing the rest of his drink and passing it off to a server. 

“You look beautiful, Darcy,” Pepper chimes in. “And the navy was a wonderful choice, Steve, you two look like a handsome couple.”

“It’s all Darcy,” Steve says, smiling down at her as he smooths down his suit jacket. 

Darcy looks down at her red dress and the expensive fabric before turning her attention back to Pepper. “Thank you for the dress, it’s stunning. Really, it’s more than I deserve.” 

“Nonsense, you deserve it after all you do around the tower.” She takes a sip of her wine, looking around the room. “Let me offer you two a few tips. You’ll want to avoid the Van Camps, the wife is an alcoholic and he’s very handsy. The Senator of Virginia is a sexist and will grab your ass.”

Steve nods, taking note. “We’ll make sure to steer clear.”

There’s a loud bang and all eyes are drawn to Tony, who’s being Tony in the middle of the room in a deep conversation with what looks like a congressman. Darcy didn’t even notice him taking off, he did it so quietly. Pepper sighs, collecting herself. “He can’t go one night without making a scene.”

“Do you want us to keep an eye on him?” Steve asks.

“I got it, thanks. You two enjoy your night.” Pepper gives them a once over before passing them and heads straight for Tony.

Darcy turns into Steve, “that was a disaster. You ready for more?”

“Absolutely not.” Steve chuckles, retracting his statement. “A few hours until we can leave, right?”

“Repeat it like a mantra, it’ll help.” Steve squeezes her hand and she smiles up at him with an idea already forming. “How long do you think it’ll take before someone comes up to us?”

Steve peaks over her shoulder, eyes scanning the room. “Twenty seconds.”

Her eyes widen in surprise and just as she turns back to stand beside Steve, a blonde woman is making a beeline for the two of them. She introduces herself directly to Steve, not even bothering a glance at Darcy who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Steve. He smiles politely, introducing Darcy himself, but her eyes barely flash over her with a faint sense of dislike before sizing up Steve.

Darcy stands by his side in amusement as this woman flirts with Steve, trying to stifle her laugh as she reaches out and squeezes his bicep. Steve squeezes her hand at that, reminding her that he remembers she’s still there. She looks up at him, notices his tight smile and his patience wavering. The woman, a talk show host to some morning show, doesn’t even notice the one word answers or the brush off he’s trying to give her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but-” Darcy starts up and is silenced by cold blue eyes, sharp and threatening, from the woman.

“I promised to introduce my date to the first lady,” Steve buts in, wrapping an arm around Darcy’s shoulders. “If you’ll excuse us.”

He steers them towards the bar, effectively ending the conversation. Darcy bursts out into laughter at the horrified expression on the blondes face that she had been rejected. Laughter dies when Steve actually directs them towards the first lady and Darcy digs in her heels, pulling at Steve to get him to stop.

“You’re not really introducing me to the first lady, are you?”

He looks down at her confused, brows furrowing. “Yeah…”

“You can’t!”

“Why not?”

“Steve, she’s the first lady! You can’t go up there just introducing meaningless people to her, it’s not worth her time.”

“Darcy,” he tries to argue but she holds her hand up, not wanting to hear it.

“Look, if I ever met the president or first lady I kind of want it to be on my terms.”

“Alright.” Steve finally says after thinking it over. “How about another drink before the dancing gets started?”

“Sure, lead the way.”

The rest of the night is rather mundane for Darcy. She sticks to water and Steve has scotch, though he doesn’t get drunk which is undoubtedly a good thing considering people make sure he always has a drink in his hand. Tony comes and goes, mostly leaves with Pepper dragging him away by the ear. Darcy and Steve don’t get a single moment to themselves, a politician or businessmen occupying a majority of their time.

Darcy creates a running tally in her head of women (and some men) flirting with Steve, which he surprisingly doesn’t notice. There’s a separate tally of how many men stare down at her chest instead of her eyes, which is annoying in itself because her dress barely exposes the girls and is fairly modest. When Steve notices the wandering gazes he effectively shuts down the conversation on the spot, sparing Darcy form the uncomfortable situation.

Waiters carry trays of little food around, Darcy taking handfuls at a time to share with Steve in spare moments. She’s introduced to powerful people but they are of no interest to Darcy and in her opinion are boring as fuck, they offer nothing of substance and even Steve fights for common ground in conversational topics. The only entertainment is Tony, who at one point manages to be making loud and eccentric claims in the middle of the ballroom. 

Speeches are made and it’s at that time Darcy learns is that it’s a charity fundraiser for pediatric cancer, the society honoring Steve specifically for his work. Darcy knew that tried to spend some time visiting children bound to hospital beds across the country, but she didn’t understand how much work he put in. The final speech has a slide show, all with Captain America and smiling children, showing his work and the money they had managed to raise that year.

Darcy didn’t quite feel so blindsided by the fact she was there with one of the honorees of the night, but she should have known Steve would keep something like that low key. After the hour long session of speeches, Darcy stands by Steve’s side as he is approached by a majority of the gala attendees all thanking Steve for his hard work and dedication. He plays it off like it’s nothing but she knows how much he genuinely cares for the cause and enjoys that others share his passion.

Shortly after the speeches finished up, a live jazz band takes center stage and couples begin to pile onto the dancefloor. Steve somehow manages to duck out of this weirdly formed receiving line of thanks, just after few words and introductions with one of Darcy’s favourite actresses. He swoops Darcy onto the dance floor, allowing a moment of rest for her aching feet.

“I’m not very good at dancing,” he whispers into her hair, holding her at least an inch away from his body. Her hand is clasped firmly in his and held out from their body while her free hand holds gently to the side of his shoulder. There’s a deep cut out in the back of Darcy’s dress and as Steve rests his hand low on her back, she can feel the rough contrast of his hand against her smooth skin.

“Don’t worry, neither am I,” she laughs lowly peaking up at him from under her lashes. They sway to the slow beat, aware of the other couples around them. “So how come you didn’t tell me you were being honored tonight?”

She feels him shrug beneath her fingers. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

Darcy hums, just as she predicted. “You could have told me.”

“Surprise?”

“You must have given up all your free time away from looking for Bucky to spend with these kids.”

“I did. Even if I was wrapped up in other stuff besides Bucky, official Cap business, I would take the time to read letters and reply. I was a kid just like them, not the cancer part, but being confined to a bed and sick.” He takes a deep breath, his grip tightening on her hand. “I got better, the serum made me healthier and stronger. A lot of kids won’t have that chance but I can make a difference just by offering my support.”

“Steve,” Darcy sighs, seeing his pained and conflicted expression. She pulls him closer, closing the distance between them. “You’re a good man, y’know that? You’re making a difference in these kids lives that is appreciated by so many people.”

“Thanks, Darce.” He rests his chin on top of her head and they stay like that, through the next few songs no matter if the beat eventually picks up.

His hand rubs the bare skin of her back, sending shivers running up her spine and sends her stomach fluttering. Darcy lets out the breath she’s been holding all night, feeling comfortable and safe in his arms. Of course, their moment isn’t long lived especially with Tony Stark nearby. A throat clears and Darcy pulls away, adding the distance back again, to see who was standing beside them.

“Arm’s length apart, dears. Middle school dance rules apply here always,” he smirks at them, brown eyes glinting.

Pepper slides up beside him, “you don’t even follow that rule.”

“I don’t have to,” Tony argues, looking a little smug. “I’m an adult.”

“You recently were in the lab for forty hours straight and forgot to eat dinner and breakfast the following morning. When I showed up at lunch you had no pants on and were about to pass out. You’re clearly anything but an adult,” Darcy rebuts.

Tony scoffs, “that was one time, Lewis.”

“That was yesterday and it’s happened at least three times since I’ve started helping you out in the labs.”

“Pepper, didn’t you say we were on our way out?” Tony completely ignores Darcy’s point and she knows she won the argument.

“Yes, we’re heading out now. We’ll see you back at the tower, have a safe journey home,” Pepper says smiling politely, tugging Tony away from the dance floor.

Tony being Tony can’t leave without one last comment and yells out from twenty feet away, “be safe, kids, and remember one arms length!”

Steve laughs, shaking his head and pulls Darcy back into his body while Tony was looking. “You’ve had enough dancing yet?”

“Yes, my feet are killing me!”

“How about I make a quick round to the committee members and we’ll duck out of here early,” Steve suggests.

The gala is just starting to get good, drinks flowing and people dancing, but Darcy was exhausted and she saw Steve was wearing thin from the endless amounts of conversation he’s had to make. He quickly says his goodbye to the two women who run the organization and promises to put in more appearances when he can, to keep in updated with events. Just within a few minutes, they were up in the air and headed back to New York.

Darcy flung off her heels the moment she was seated in the cockpit beside Steve, rubbing at her aching feet. There was a blister already popped on one of her toes and her heels rubbed raw. They settle into comfortable silence, watching the city escape from under them and the night sky play out before them.

Steve wakes her up when they’re back at the tower and helps her into the elevator. Darcy leans into his side with Steve’s arm wrapped firmly around her waist. As the elevators open up onto Darcy’s floor, they both step out for a proper goodbye. Her apartment door is rarely ever locked because Jane never has a key on her and hates using the biometric scanner, so Darcy doesn’t have to worry about searching for keys.

Steve’s shifting his weight awkwardly between his feet, looking down at the ground with his hands shoved into his pockets. “Thank you for coming with me tonight.”

“Anytime, Steve, I had a lot of fun.” She reaches up and gives him a tight hug and before she pulls back drops a kiss to his cheek. “See you tomorrow for movie marathon?”

“Absolutely, I was thinking maybe Indiana Jones?”

“You got it!” Darcy beams. “Good night.”

“Night, Darce.”

She feels like she has to pull herself away from Steve’s gravitational field, shifting her focus from Steve and back towards the exhaustion she feels. Her first order of business is to check in on Avery, the baby happily asleep in her crib, allowing Darcy at least another few hours of sleep before her next feeding. Jane is passed out in Darcy’s bed, hand still holding onto the baby monitor.

Darcy peels off her dress, throwing her heels and clutch into her closet and placing the dress onto the back of the couch. She slips into a tank and sleep shorts before burrowing under the covers and cuddling up to Jane. Her best friend barely wakes, shifting and turning as she settles closer to Darcy.

“You’re back,” she slurs, rubbing at her eyes.

“Yeah. It’s just after one, I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

“Kay,” Jane yawns and falls back asleep.

Darcy falls back into the pillows, exhaustion overtaking her and feeling at ease and happy with how her night went. She knew in the morning that Jane will want every detail of every second and Darcy was willing to comply, only after she got a minimum of six hours sleep and a coffee. She snuggles up to Jane just as she did most nights in New Mexico, falling asleep with an elbow in her side and the smell of Jane’s shampoo.

Darcy wakes up the next morning to someone bouncing onto her bed; a body bouncing once, twice, and coming to rest at the end of the bed. She doesn’t open her eyes, though she is awake. It was a long nigh night at the gala with Steve and then Avery had woken up twice in the night, Jane not even budging beside her as she crawled out of bed.

The sun was peaking through her curtains, sending a light glow over the room and all Darcy wants to do is sleep in a little longer. “Go away,” she mumbles, rolling over and trying to pull a pillow over her head.

Jane tugs the pillow out from her grip and hits Darcy with it twice. She leans in close, hovering over Darcy’s stretched out body, “wake up.”

“Janey, no.”

“Janey, yes,” the woman mocks.

She manages to crack open an eye, blinking back against the harsh morning sunlight. “How are you this cheerful?”

“I went to bed early and didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night for a crying baby,” Jane chirps.

Darcy groans, rolling onto her back. “Yeah, thanks for that.”

“Your daughter.”

“I know,” she replies, rolling back onto her stomach and hiding her face in the soft, inviting pillows. “But why are you in my bed and not letting me sleep while my baby is sleeping, you know the rules, Janey.”

Jane hits her head again with something a little more solid than a pillow, pages billowing in the air as she hits her again. “Because you’re on the cover of seven different magazines!”

“What?” Darcy rolls and bolts upright, grabbing the magazine out of Janes’ hand. On the cover is a picture of her and Steve from weeks ago shopping, Darcy remembering that moment when she fell into his side. Steve is smiling down at her, Darcy’s head thrown back in laughter with Steves’ arm around her. In the corner is a smaller picture from last night of them dancing, not even an inch between them.

“This is bullshit!” Darcy snaps, opening up to the centerfold where their story takes up at least four pages.

Jane peaks over her shoulder, “that dress really is beautiful, you looked good, Darce.”

“At least I have one thing going for me,” she mutters while scanning the story quickly. It doesn’t say much rather than there has been multiple sightings of the couple and an alleged source claims they’re dating. It’s almost like they’ve been building this story for weeks, including pictures of her around on campus.

“This one says you’re Tony Starks daughter,” Jane announces, holding up a picture of Darcy and Tony from last night, laughing at the bar. Jane looks up at Darcy with wide eyes and hint of a smirk. “I mean they’re not wrong, you two do look alike.”

Darcy flops back, throwing her hands over her eyes as she sends the magazine falling onto the bed beside her. “This is so fucked up, me and Steve are just friends.”

Jane lays a comforting hand on her arm, rubbing lightly. “It really doesn’t look like it, I mean look at this.”

Darcy ignores another picture of her and Steve to glare at Jane. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours, obviously! Just making observations.”

“Janey,” Darcy groans. “Stop making observations.”

There’s a knock on the door, Jane calling out for Thor that it’s alright to come in. Darcy peaks at him behind her arms, Avery settled on his hip. “Avery was fussing as I came by,” he says, stepping into the room and placing the baby between Jane and her. “Friend Pepper has already sorted things out.”

“She has?” Darcy perks up.

Thor nods, turning on the television to one of the many news stations, this one happening to display pictures of Steve and Darcy. A chirpy blonde women begins the story, “A statement has come from Steve Rogers claiming his date to the American Pediatric Cancer Charity Gala was a friend whom works within the tower and associates with the Avengers team. She is in no way related to Tony Stark despite claims stating otherwise. It is important to the Captain to protect his friend from the media, and no additional information will be released on the matter.”

There’s a few guesses on who this woman is, some thinking she works for SHIELD which both Jane and Darcy snort at. Another guess is that Darcy is in fact the daughter of Tony Stark, an heiress he has kept away from the media, Darcy rolls her eyes at that. The final and most ridiculous is that she’s Steve’s secret wife, the two marrying shortly after Steve was found in the ice and decided to keep the relationship a secret.

“If any harm comes to my lightening sister and niece there will be grave repressions,” Thor announces to the room, watching the news with a disapproving frown.

“Thanks, buddy, but I think we should be good for now. I just won’t ever leave the apartment with Steve or Tony or maybe ever again.”

“The story will blow over, give it time,” Jane advises, no doubt remembering her fifteen minutes of fame when news outlets got wind of her and Thors’ relationship.

“Shall I make breakfast?” Thor offers.

“Yes, please! Your famous chocolate chip peanut butter pancakes?” Jane asks, batting her eyelashes pleadingly.

“With bacon?” Darcy adds, giving Thor her best puppy eyes.

“Aye, anything for thy ladies.”

Jane winks and blows him a kiss before settling back on the bed, curling around Avery who was staring up at the ceiling. She drops a kiss on her nieces’ head, admiring the soft brown hairs that were sticking up in all directions. Darcy raises a brow, Thor had most likely changed a dirty diaper and dressed Avery before dropping her off if the little red dress she was in was anything to go by.

“Y’know he’d make a good dad,” she comments, watching Jane closely.

Her best friend, ever so predictable, begins to stutter. “Oh no. No, no way. There’s no way I’m having a baby any time soon.”

Darcy bursts out laughing. “Too much science to do?”

“Yes. When we finally recreate the Einstein-Rosen Bridge then maybe we’ll think about it. Besides I’m happy being Auntie Jane.” She replies, tickling Averys’ belly. “Now tell me everything about your date last night.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

Jane scowls and throws one of the many magazines at Darcy. “That looks like a date to me. Spill, Lewis.”

Darcy settles in and tells Jane everything about last night, from her dress that Pepper had surprised her with to the quinjet ride, to how rude the mayor of New York City was, to Steve being honored, to Tony’s theatrics. Jane had been to her fair share of galas, Darcy had not and it had been a whole new experience for her. Steve was the perfect date and gentlemen, she’d be lying if she didn’t have an amazing night because of him.

Hours later after a morning with Jane in the labs, post Thor’s famous pancakes, and an afternoon of readings Darcy needed to get out of the tower. She promised Jane coffee and scone from their favourite place around the corner, and asked Thor to watch Avery. Darcy had pulled her hood up to cover part of her profile in case there were any photographers camped outside the building, she didn’t want her picture in any more magazines.

Steve had dropped by during breakfast looking shy and apologetic but Darcy waved him off. The rumors were nothing. Yeah, it was shitty to be photographed and labeled as Captain Americas’ mystery girlfriend but everything would be water under the bridge once Tony does the eccentric billionaire bit and overshadows their story. It was guaranteed to be blown over within a few days.

Thankfully, the back exit of the tower was free from any waiting paparazzis and she was able to slip into the heavy flow of foot traffic unnoticed. Darcy only needs to go three blocks down the street, not a far walk and took fix minutes max, she had been coming to this café for months. She tries to be aware of her surroundings, remembering things Natasha had taught her in their training sessions. The woman was always lecturing Darcy that she couldn’t just walk around with her headphones in and music blasting, how she should be paying attention to the people and places around her.

Darcy makes sure to scan the crowd as she walks, the sidewalk was fairly busy and it felt like her head was on a swivel. Still, all the training from the Black Widow and Hawkeye flew right out the door when Darcy was grasped very firmly around her upper arm and tugged into an alley. She’s too stunned to move, a hand wraps around her mouth so she can’t scream, her eyes growing wide in surprise.

Her back hits brick, her head smacking against the wall with a hard thud. Her hands are gripped tightly in one hand and her bag had been dropped feet away, her tazer lying helplessly inside. Darcy manages to knee him in the balls, he grunts but his grip remains firm and his body unmoving and solid against hers.

A dark baseball hat and hood cover most of his face, his lips are red and there’s quite a bit of stubble lining his jaw. Darcy groans, trying to make noise as she wiggles but the man shushes her, his mouth level with her ear.

“They’re watching you,” he whispers, his voice raspy.

He pulls away, his gaze shifting to the opening of the alley. His hand comes away from his mouth and Darcy wants to scream for help but there’s something about the man that is familiar. “Who? Who’s watching me?”

“Hydra.”

The man pulls back his hood and steps away from Darcy, giving her full view of his face. “Bucky?”

“We have to go,” he says, giving her no time to process as he bends and hands over her bag that she dropped and tugs her deeper into the alley towards a tall chain link fence.

A shot rings out and Darcy pushes her legs to move faster, Bucky barely peeking over his shoulder before sending off shots of his own. She’s shoved down behind a dumpster, Bucky’s eyes wild, looking over his shoulder as his hand grips a hand gun tightly. Darcy flinches as the sound of bullets bounce off the dumpster beside them, her ears ringing.

“Don’t move,” he tells her and then he’s gone.

Darcy can’t move, her body frozen in fear. She closes her eyes tightly and cover her ears as another shot goes off and there’s grunts and shouts. This is far from anything she’s experienced, far from the destroyer where she was able to run away. HYDRA was targeting her specifically and that thought is more terrifying because it’s not just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, they’re coming after her.

She’s humming to herself in hope that it drowns out the outside noise. It doesn’t work, she can hear the echo from another gunshot being let off. Her heart is pounding in her ears, skipping rapidly in her chest as her panic builds. It’s getting hard to breathe and Darcy really just wants to be back home holding Avery in her arms, she wants to be safe and out from behind this dumpster.

It grows quiet for a second too long and she fumbles for her bag at her feet, grabbing her tazer with shaking hands. She doesn’t even give it a second thought, when a shadow rounds the corner she presses the trigger letting off a charge. There’s a grunt and then a body falling to the ground, shaking slightly from the electrocution.

Darcy’s heart drops when she sees who it is. Bucky Barnes, writhing on the dirty ground of an alley, two feet away from her.

“Well shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? anything you wanna see next?


	9. coming home

Darcy calls the only person she can think of in that moment, the only person she trusts to take care of things- Natasha. She brings Clint and the two manage to get Bucky back to the tower unnoticed, Darcy trailing behind them.

Bucky had killed the two HYDRA agents, a bullet to the forehead and a slash to the throat. Darcy had to step over them to get back to the street, her converses getting specks of blood on the soles. She stares down at her shoes, unable to tear her gaze away from the blood on them. All she sees is the two men staring up at her unblinking as she’s forced to step over them.

Natasha calls someone to take care of the bodies. Darcy can’t even bear the thought of what they’re going to do with them, or who’s coming to dispose of them. She follows Clint and Natasha into the back door of the tower and then the private elevator, asking Jarvis in a raspy voice to let her off at her floor.

Clint asks if she’s okay but she doesn’t answer, her gaze still on her shoes unable to process everything that’s happened in the past half hour. Her body is moving on its own, through the elevator and onto her floor, collapsing onto the couch. She curls in on herself, letting tears fall down her cheeks.

Thor comes in with Avery, looking confused but quickly wraps her up in a hug. He lets her cry on his shoulder and doesn’t ask any questions just holds her tightly. Her emotions are jumbled as she feels the adrenaline wear off. Avery is on his lap and pats Darcy’s hand, looking up at her mother with big concerned eyes. Darcy pulls her daughter into her arms, needing to feel her warmth and softness.

She knows she’s seen death and destruction, in both New Mexico and London, but in those instances she wasn’t targeted directly. Back then she was just a college student helping out Jane for a few science credits, she had nothing to lose. This time, the attack was very real and it isn’t so easy to shake off. The threat was real to her life and she almost didn’t made it home. 

Thor’s big body envelopes hers, heat radiating through his shirt and his strong smell of familiarity comforts her. Eventually the tears subside and she kindly asks Thor for some time alone after promises of telling him everything when she’s ready. She hears him slip out and exchange quiet words with someone else, someone that wasn’t Jane, and soon Natasha is sliding onto the couch beside her.

They sit there in comfortable silence. Darcy’s never been one for quiet stretches but it’s surprisingly Natasha who breaks the tension. “How are you holding up?” 

Darcy looks up slowly to meet Natasha’s gaze. The redhead looking concerned, her brows pinched together and lips twisted downward into a frown. This is the closest she’s seen Natasha show concern towards her.

“’Bout as well as expected with HYDRA trying to kill me.” Darcy looks down at Avery, still in her arms but wiggling to get the attention of the woman beside her. Natasha smiles down at the baby, holding out her hand which Avery latches onto. Darcy’s noticed over the months training with Natasha and living in the same building, the redhead has grown fonder of Avery. 

“HYDRA won’t be a threat to you anymore.”

“How do you know that?”

“We sent them a message,” she says vaguely, green eyes steady and a little cold. “They should know not to mess with an avenger, or those closest.”

“Bucky killed them.”

“The winter soldier did, yes.” Natasha corrects her.

Darcy shakes her head, “that wasn’t the winter soldier.” It wasn’t. The man in that alley wasn’t a silent killer that the media had made him out to be. He showed emotion, he was protective, and he looked scared. “It was Bucky.” She pauses, realizing that she’s sitting beside Natasha, who was supposed to be with Bucky in that moment. “Where is he now?”

“Being processed. They are running a few tests and then he’ll be monitored until he completes a series of evaluations by our psychologists,” Natasha explains. “Not many people can say they’ve bested the winter soldier.”

“You sound impressed.”

“I am.”

Darcy doesn’t know what to make of the approval. She’s been training with Natasha for over a month and they haven’t made much progress. They make time where they can to train but the sessions have been disastrous at best, Darcy growing frustrated when she can’t maneuver her body quite like the Black Widow. She had been harsh and unrelenting, a stark contrast from Clint’s kind and reassuring training methods. 

Something must have stuck because she had fought back against Bucky, maybe it was her fight or flight response kicking in. Her mother always had told her she never knew when to step down from a fight. Her tasing him was a little unexpected and Darcy will later admit (in the far off future) she may have had a dose of trigger finger. 

She blinks and sees Buckys' closed eyes, his body still twitching from the charge running through his body. Then she see’s the dead brown eyes staring up at her as she steps over one of HYDRA agents. She blinks again and see’s green eyes and blood staining the pavement beneath the body, specks of blood getting on her shoes. 

She looks up to see Natasha watching her, lips pursed. “Do you remember the first person you killed?”

Darcy doesn’t know why she asked such a question, especially to Natasha who was closed off to everyone but Clint. She doesn’t flinch, just closes her eyes and nods. When she opens her eyes again looking directly at Darcy, it’s where she shows her vulnerability. 

“I grew up in the red room, was trained at a very young age with specific skills and to carry out orders. I was nine when they made me make my first kill. I didn’t want to but the training and the handlers were all I knew. If you didn’t follow instructions exactly to their standards then you were punished.”

Darcy feels her stomach drop as she imagines the horrors of Natasha’s childhood. She’s heard very little and this perhaps is the reason the redhead is so closed off. She hadn’t grown up as Darcy had with two loving parents, didn’t have that comfort or unrequited love. It was hard to picture anyone enduring such things but not everyone was fortunate for that idealistic childhood. 

“They asked me to kill my sister,” she continues. “She wasn’t mine biologically, but she was a sister born of consequence, brought into the red room at the same time as me. As she grew older it was clear she didn’t possess the skills required to serve the red room.”

Natasha looks up at her and Darcy reads every emotion on her face as she relives that time in her life. She doesn’t tear her gaze away, blue eyes meet green, and Natasha recites: “The training is hard but the glory of the soviet culture and sisterhood is our livelihood.”

“She was a failure in their eyes, she had no potential and she was a dishonor upon the Soviet Union and our sisterhood so they made me kill her. One night I slipped out of bed and amongst twenty six other girls I slit her throat. I remember reciting a prayer to a God I didn’t believe in, knowing she was better off than the rest of us.”

Avery, as if sensing the emotion rolling off Natasha, reaches out for the woman. Natasha looks down in surprise, composing herself in a flash and took the baby into her hands. Avery curls up, one fist closing around a strand of vibrant red hair and the other around her neck over the arrow necklace, seemingly hugging Natasha. 

“I carry her death with me and every other person that I have killed since. Some nights I relive them, but I’m working on righting my wrongs. When SHIELD fell I was lost, there was no clear right side anymore. But Clint reminded me of many things I have forgotten. In order to move on from this, you have to remember what you’re fighting for,” Natasha says and Darcy looks down to her daughter. 

Darcy thinks back to that moment between Bucky and the two Hydra goons. She relives that moment where she reaches out for her bag to grab her taser. In that moment, Darcy fought to live, to make it back to the tower for Avery. She’s fighting everyday in school and at work to provide for her child and give her a better future. Those men might not have died at her hand but they haunt her, how they could have taken her life had it not been for Bucky. Darcy folds her legs up under her, hugging her legs to her chest in comfort as she rests her chin on her knees. 

“Thank you.”

Natasha smiles lightly, her lips twitching up at the corners. One hand is braced against Avery’s back and hugs her to her chest, looking more comfortable with an infant than Darcy believed possible. “You are stronger than you know.”

Those are big words coming from such a woman and Darcy takes them to heart, understanding the hidden meaning. She looks down at her daughter who had fallen asleep in Natasha’s arms, the woman looking like a natural. Darcy remembers the distance that Natasha had been keeping with Avery, though she slips up whenever Clint is holding the baby and is unable to hide her smiles while he makes funny faces. 

“I can take her back if you’d like,” Darcy suggests, not wanting to hurt this tender and new friendship they’re building. 

Natasha shakes her head, adjusting her grip on Avery so she’s more comfortable resting her head on Natasha’s shoulder. Darcy watches as Natasha breathes in that sweet baby smell that is so irresistible. “маленькая мышка, я буду защищать вас от всякого зла”

Darcy tilts her head, trying to make sense of the Russian. “What’d you just say.”

Natasha smirks. “Nothing that concerns you.”

“She said ‘little mouse, I will protect you from all evil,” Clint chimes in, coming out of nowhere and rolling over the couch to sit beside Natasha. 

“Little mouse,” Darcy whispers, eyeing Natasha. 

“Myshka,” the Russian supplies, batting Clint’s hand away as he reaches for Avery. 

“I like that.” 

Clint hums, unable to hide his grin with his attention focused solely on Natasha. There’s a hint of longing in his gaze but he hides it well as he rests his chin on Natasha’s free shoulder, rubbing his bristly cheek along her smooth one. He looks over to Darcy, studying her disheveled appearance.

“You should go clean up. Bruce is cooking dinner and the whole tower is required to attend this feast. We’ll watch the kid, take as long as you want,” he says, his voice soft. 

Darcy sighs, a shower would feel really nice right now. She drops a kiss to the top of Avery’s head and before she leaves the room turns to point at Clint. “Don’t mess with my Netflix queue, it took me weeks to get rid of the suggested sports movies.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes, shooing her out of the room with the wave of his hand. 

Darcy flops onto her bed the moment she enters her room, her bed sheets still rumpled from her morning in bed with Jane. Magazines litter the floor from where her friend had discarded them hours ago. That morning felt like days or another lifetime ago. She’s feels like she witnessed a hint of war, dividing her life from pre-Hydra to post-hydra death attempt. 

She rolls over, staring down at the magazines. Last night felt like another life ago and the carefree Darcy Lewis was staring up at her from the pictures. The threat of Hydra was never realer than before and Darcy has no idea how to combat this fear for not only her life but her daughters’. She’s just thankful she hadn’t been out with Avery that morning, she doesn’t even want to think about her daughter being in the middle of a fire fight. 

There’s so much that needs to be discussed at dinner. Bucky’s most likely on the top of the list and she’s curious as to whether he’ll be there or if he’ll be locked up for the foreseeable future. They’ll want to talk about her safety going to school, and as much as she wants to continue on like none of this has happened, it has and the threat is very real. She feels the need to see Steve, to see how he’s dealing with Bucky and what his plans are for the future concerning his best friend. 

It’s all too much to think about, too many things going on. Darcy rubs her eyes with the back of her hands, wiping away the tears that begin to well up. She pulls herself from her bed and into the shower, savoring the hot water that washes away the dirt and grime from her day. If only it was that easy to forget. 

Eventually she pulls herself from the warmth, the water never going cold, she could have lived in the luxury shower forever. Darcy dressed down in yoga pants and a baggy Culver sweater, the ratty sleeves dangling past her hands. The moment she gets Avery back in her arms again, her world aligns and everything feels right. Natasha’s words are swimming around in her head, Avery is what she’s fighting for, and with a deep breath she’s ready to face the rest of the tower. 

\- 

“There’s my darling daughter.” Tony announces the moment Darcy steps onto the common floor. His arms are outstretched and he’s got the biggest smirk on his face and his eyes sparkling with mischief. 

“You’re not my father,” she grumbles, walking further into the room. 

“I know,” he chirps. Darcy eyes him and he quickly explains. “I ran your DNA.”

“You have my DNA?” She’s trying to stay calm but Tony is being Tony and after the day she’s had, she really just wants him to be less eccentric. 

“I have everyone’s DNA,” he says nonchalantly, waving his hand as he turns on his heel. “Come, we have food.”

Darcy rounds the corner to find the long table topped with various asian dishes, the smell wafting across the room. Bruce is wearing Darcy’s apron, blushing slightly when she passes him at the counter and gives a little tug to the fabric. “I didn’t even know you could cook.”

“I love to cook, it’s very calming,” he explains, tossing a salad lightly. He hands it off to Darcy to place on the table. “I’m often too busy but I had a craving for spring rolls.”

“Did Tony invite everyone?” She questions, keeping her voice low. Bruce lets out a sigh and slight nod of his head. “Not very calming now, is it?”

“I’m happy to cook, Darcy. We eat too much take out and you deserve a break. After the day you’ve had, I’m happy to help.”

Darcy smiles, “thanks, Bruce.”

She carries the salad bowl and places it into the middle of the table. Natasha motions for her to sit down beside her with Clint across from them. Avery is placed in her lap because Darcy can’t bear the thought of letting go of her, she just needs her baby in her arms. Bruce places the large bowl of rice on the table before taking his own seat. Tony is in his designated spot at the end of the table, leaving four empty seats. 

“I shall go fetch m'lady, she seems to be ignoring my call,” Thor announces before pushing back from the table, taking a spring roll and plopping it into his mouth. “I love midgardian meals!”

Darcy watches as he leaves and now there are three open chairs. “Where’s Steve?” 

“Barnes woke up,” Natasha explains delicately. There’s a stiffness in her shoulders and the pinch between her brows firmly end anymore questioning. She doesn’t bother to ask where Sam is because where ever Steve is, that’s where Sam goes. Pepper is absent as well, on a business trip of her own.

“I wish I got that on camera,” Barton says between a mouthful. “Damn, woulda been a sight to see the Winter Soldier knocked on his ass.”

There’s a loud thud under the table and Clint shouts out in pain, Natasha most likely kicking him. “What?” He snaps, leaning over as he rubs his shin. 

“My Taser truly is a masterpiece,” Tony chimes in. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Aren’t tasers illegal in New York?” Bruce questions, receiving looks from the three avengers. “Right. Stupid question.”

Darcy laughs at Bruce, because of course if anyone were to have a concealed illegal taser in New York it would be her and would come from the mind of Tony Stark. “Thanks, Tony, for providing me with an illegal weapon that is so powerful it knocked out a super soldier,” she says sarcastically with the roll of her eyes. 

He straightens in his seat, suddenly looking very serious. “I take the protection of my daughter very seriously. That weapon is strong enough that it’s close to knocking the Hulk on his ass.”

“Tony, you shouldn’t be making weapons with that strength and giving them to civilians,” Bruce adds disproving. 

“It’s Lewis!” He argues, as if that’s all he needs. 

There’s a brief pause and then Clint is chiming in. “So if Darce is your daughter, does that make you a grandfather?”

Tony grows comically pale, his eyes widening. “Fuck no! I’m too young and good looking to be a grandfather! Besides, she’s not even my kid!”

Natasha smiling dangerously, “Papa Stark, has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Darcy laughs loudly, feeling the weight on her chest lift. She quickly forgets about her day and revels in the family feel, how easy it is to joke around with these people. She bumps shoulders with Natasha, “I love the sound of that.”

“No! It’s Tony or Stark, I’m no Papa to any kid.”

Bruce snorts, “whatever you say Papa Stark.”

That sends the table into laughter and Darcy knows Tony’s trying to hide his smile but the tilt of his lips is there. He gets up from the table and takes Avery from her arms and holds the baby out in front of him. “Don’t listen to them, you call me Tony.”

Avery gurgles, smiles widely at him and blows bubbles. He takes that as her agreeing to his terms and returns to his seat, sitting Avery onto his lap. With that everyone digs into the meal presented to them, Darcy digging into the spring rolls Bruce made. The table is anything but quiet as Bruce and Tony bicker. Natasha and Clint talk weapons, Darcy sits between them and soaks up the distraction. 

Things take a turn for the worst when Jane rushes into the room, Thor hot on her tail. She’s a whirlwind of a woman, always bouncing from one project to the next with a fiery passion. Darcy barely gets a moment to adjust to Jane arriving when she’s attacked into a fierce hug, being squeezed possessively by the smaller woman. 

Darcy wheezes out a breath, patting Jane on the back, “little hard to breathe.”

Jane pulls away, “sorry.” Then her hands are all over Darcy, checking for any injuries. 

“I’m fine, Jane,” she snaps, pushing away a hand as it runs over her hair and getting tangled in her curls. Her best friend looks hurt, pulling away slightly. “I’m fine, really.”

“Darcy, you were shot at!”

She just shrugs a shoulder, trying to appear unphased. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Darce-”

“Jane, just drop it!”

Jane pulls back quickly, looking like she’d been shocked. “I’m sorry for being a concerned friend.”

Darcy sighs, feeling the weight from earlier settle over her chest and making it a little harder to breathe. “Can we talk later?”

Thor guides her away and into the chair beside Clint. “Let us eat, my love.”

Jane gives Darcy a small smile, which she doesn’t return. She watches everyone else eat, her plate left untouched and half finished, she’s not hungry any more. Darcy was using the dinner as a distraction, a moment away from the day she was having, and Jane brought everything back. She wasn’t fine and she couldn’t just forget what happened. 

Natasha gives her arm a squeeze under the table, offering her quiet support. Tony leans forward, mid chew, fork pointed across the table at Darcy. “Y’know, we should really consider getting you a bodyguard.”

The table grows very quiet as Darcy tenses. “I don’t need a bodyguard, Stark.”

“You’re the girlfriend of Captain America and daughter of Tony Stark, you’re now a target.”

“You’re not my father,” she growls. Then adds, “And I’m not dating Steve. We’ve already released a statement regarding both those lies.”

“You think the media is going to care about the truth?” He raises a brow, the playfullness gone from his expression. He’s still got one arm wrapped around Avery, who’s looking up at Tony with wide and curious eyes. “Trust me, kid, I know enough about the media that they’re going to be on your tail for the next few months at least.”

“Hydra is also an issue,” Bruce adds quietly. 

Clint hums in agreement, “I agree, Darce, we don’t know if there are more Hydra agents out there gunning for you in order to get to any of us.”

“This is bullshit,” she says, looking around at all the concerned faces. Darcy pushes back from the table, shaking her head she grabs her baby from Stark and stalks out of the room. 

She’s barely processed the attack, her morning a whirlwind from finding tabloids depicting her and Steve on their covers to bringing Bucky in. Darcy just needs a second to compose herself, to gather her wits, and figure out a game plan. Coming into the tower she knew she could potentially be a target, had told Natasha she was all in, but being experiencing such an attack made things all too real. 

Darcy hugs Avery close to her chest, her child squirming and beginning to cry in her grip. They hop onto the elevator and take the short ride back to her floor, Darcy trying to comfort a very upset baby. Avery most likely feels the tension and anger rolling off of Darcy and is unsettled herself. So Darcy takes to calming Avery down the best way she knows how, the rocking chair. 

Once Avery quiets down, Darcy feeds her and gives her a bath. She’s put to bed early but Darcy remains close by, reading a book of her own in the nursery. Jane appears in the doorway soon after and Darcy sneaks out, following Jane to the living room. Thor is nowhere to be found, most likely giving the two to talk. 

Jane sits patiently beside Darcy on the couch, both hands holding tightly onto one of Darcy’s as she recounts the events from hours earlier. She doesn’t cry, just explains everything that had happened. That she was attacked by Hydra and Bucky was there, that he’s home now and being examined. Jane takes it all in, nodding along and squeezing Darcy’s hand lightly. She asks very few questions and the feeling is therapeutic in a way her talk with Natasha isn’t, openly talking to Jane who is her best friend and someone she trusts with her life. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Jane murmurs into Darcy’s hair, bringing her into a tight hug when she’s finished rehashing the story. 

“I’m sorry about dinner.”

Jane pulls back and shrugs. “It’s fine, Tony was being an ass and I should have given you space.”

Darcy gives her a small smile of thanks. “You mind if I have the night to myself?”

Her best friend just nods and stands up, “I’ve got to get back to the lab anyway.”

As Jane is at the front door, Darcy calls out, “I love you, Janey, don’t forget to sleep!”

“Love you too, Darce. You know I’m here for anything you need.”

“I know.”

When Jane leaves the apartment, Darcy feels marginally better but not by much. She curls up on the couch, wrapping an old knit blanket around her and puts on The Office. It’s a happy and easy show to watch, and Darcy gets lost in the comedy. At some point Avery wakes up for a feeding, Thor comes home and quietly watches an episode while entertaining Avery and eventually putting her back to bed for the night. Darcy stays put on the couch even though it’s late, she’s tired and can’t find the energy walking to bed. 

There’s a knock at the door sometime between Darcy’s ninth and tenth episode. It’s obviously not Jane because she just walks into her own apartment and Darcy takes a second to debate whether she wants company or to be left alone. She decides on the former, calling out “Come in.”

Steve slowly opens the door a moment later. “Darcy?” 

“Over here,” she waves a hand over the back of the couch for him to see her location. He shuffles across the room and comes to a halt at the end of the couch, frowning down at her. “Hey,” she smiles weakly up at him. Darcy sits upright, tugging the blanket closed around her and offering Steve a place to sit. 

He plops down on the couch beside her, stretching out his legs as his head falls back on the edge of the couch. Darcy studies his features and he just looks exhausted. She doesn’t want to ask but she has to. “How’s Bucky?”

Steve tenses, rolling his head and sitting up to look at her. “Good.” Then closes his eyes, fighting with himself to tell the truth. “I don’t know, Darce. He’s Bucky but he’s not. He’s not the guy I knew.” He sighs. “I know he’s not the same Bucky.”

Darcy reaches out of her blanket cocoon for his hand, offering her strength as he clings tightly to it. “What happened when he woke up?”

“He was confused. Then said: ‘Stevie, y’got yourself one hell of a dame there.’” Steve laughs, shaking his head. 

“I’m sorry for tasing him.”

“Don’t be,” he says, his gaze intense on hers. “You did what was best in that situation, you didn’t know how he would have reacted or who it even was. You did good, Darcy.”

She folds their hands over, her thumb running along the back of his. “So did you two hash things out?”

Steve just shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “When he woke up and saw he was surrounded by all the white coats he freaked out. They had to put him out again to prevent any damage to himself or others. When he woke up again we gave him the space to calm down, there were so many tests and he just shut down through all of it. It was too hard to watch and I slipped out before I could see more.” He pauses for a second, his lips twitching into a frown. “I wouldn’t even know what to say to him.”

Darcy hums in understanding, knowing there was so much between the two that needs to be discussed. From Bucky’s time in Hydras care, to Steve dealing with his best friend's death and all the lost years in between. “You’ll figure it out and when you do, will you thank him for saving my life?”

“Sure thing, doll.” When she shivers he pulls her into his side, his arm going around her shoulders. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“It’s really all Bucky. He’s the one that pulled me out of the crowd and tried to get me away from Hydra. He killed them for me before I tased him,” she explains. 

“I’ve been thinking about that all day. Why would he do that for someone he doesn’t know?”

“For you, Steve,” she smiles, nudging his ribs with her shoulder. “Those magazines had our picture plastered across their covers. He probably thought I’m your girlfriend or something.”

“Like Hydra,” he states. 

Darcy straightens, seeing his features darken into an unpleasant scowl. His hand clenches in a tight grip against his thigh. She scrambles up onto her knees, pulling Steve’s face towards hers so they were nose to nose, his face cradled between her hands. 

“This isn’t your fault.” He tries to protest but Darcy shakes her head sharply. “I knew the risk when I moved in here. Hydra could have wanted me for a number of reasons, my relationship to Jane and Thor or even for Tony. I told Natasha months ago that I knew the risks of living in the tower and I told her I’m all in.”

“Darcy-”

She holds his head still, she just wants to get this through his thick skull. “I’m a grown ass woman, Steve, I know what I’m doing. I’m a ride or die kinda girl, I stuck with Jane through all those crazy years. Expect me not to be going anywhere.”

He lets out a long sigh and smiles and Darcy lets go of his face. “I can accept that. Maybe we should think about getting you a bodyguard for going out in public.”

“Tony already suggested that,” she groans.

“I’m going to regret saying this but he may be right.”

“I’ll think about it.” She can tell he wants to protest but she puts the conversation to rest, lifting his arm up and settling beneath it and into his side. She turns the volume up on the television, letting Steve know it’s time to relax and take the time to just stop thinking.

A few minutes later, he’s clearing his throat. “Uh, Darce, what is this?”

It’s the episode where the office is learning CPR and it’s one of Darcy’s favourites. She looks to the screen where they had just finished singing ‘Staying Alive’ and Dwight had taken a knife and cut the face off the CPR dummy, turning around rather creepily with the face of the dummy over his own.

Darcy looks up to see the horrified look on Steve’s face and laughs loudly. “It’s The Office.”

“Uh huh.”

She pats his leg. “I’ll just put on Friends.”

“I think that’s best.”

Darcy laughs as she turns it over to Friends, picking right up where they left off somewhere around season four. She gets comfortable, sharing the warm blanket with Steve and only having to get up once to feed Avery. Jane comes home in the early hours of the morning but doesn’t say a word, dragging her feet as she practically sleep walks to her room. 

At some point, Darcy and Steve end up horizontal on the couch with Steve curled around Darcy. She only finds this out when the morning sun sneaks through the large floor to ceiling windows, the brightness cascading over her face and waking her up to Steve’s hard body pressed up against hers. 

The television is black, Jarvis no doubt turning it off when the two passed out the night before. Darcy doesn’t even remember falling asleep or how she even ended up in this position but she’s definitely not complaining. Steve’s warm scent embraces her and one arm is holding her against him. She debates for a second on whether she should get up and move before he wakes up, not wanting it to be uncomfortable for him to wake up in such a compromising position. 

Darcy decides to move, taking a look at the time and knowing Avery will be up any minute wanting to be fed. She turns but his grip only tightens and somehow she’s on her back and Steve is nuzzling against her shoulder, his nose in her hair. Darcy ignores the little flip of her stomach, attempting to pry herself off the couch for a second time. 

Steve reaches out as she’s half off the couch, pulling her back to the couch. He’s definitely awake now and Darcy’s tumbling down onto the couch with a small yelp, coming nose to nose with Steve. He’s smiling sleepily at her, his long lashes batting over his eyes as he tries to wake himself. 

“Hey,” he mumbles, his arms going back around Darcy. 

She thought he would push her away at finding them in this position, instead he’s pulling her closer. Darcy reaches up and pushes his bangs out off his forehead and away from his eyes. “Morning.”

He stretches his legs out, Darcy feeling his muscles strain and stretch against her. His features are soft and relaxed, a rare sight. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you have Bucky back,” she replies then looks over her shoulder to the clock on the far wall. “I should get up and get moving. I have so much homework to catch up on.”

Steve shakes his head, “just stay here.”

Darcy laughs, “who knew Steve Rogers was a cuddler.”

“Just you, doll,” he winks, smirking.

“Steve-” She wiggles, wanting to be free.

“Just one more second? Please, Darce?” He’s looking up at her with wide eyes and the most innocent expression. She gives in, settling down beside him and relaxing in his arms. He lets out a sigh of content, his eyes closing. “I’ve just wanted to hold you since I found out about the attack yesterday, just to make sure you’re okay and safe.” 

Darcy’s heart warms and pounds loudly in her chests. “I’m safe now.”

He brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, his palm cupping her cheek. Staring into his deep blue eyes, Darcy feels safe and at peace, like this is exactly where she wants and needs to be. There’s something about Steve that makes her feel warm and safe. His nose brushes hers and they are so close that Darcy feels his breath brush against her lips. 

Her heart thuds double time and her breath rushes out of her at the possibilities. Just before he closes the distance there’s a loud wail coming from the baby monitor and Darcy turns her head, Steve catching the corner of her mouth in a chaste kiss. He pulls back and blushes. 

Darcy ducks her head, “I better go, she’s waiting to be fed.”

Steve lets go of her, nodding in understanding. “Right.” 

She regrettably pulls herself off the couch and away from his warmth. “Talk to you later?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Darcy gives him one last look over her shoulder as she enters the hallway to the bedrooms. She’s only able to catch her breath once he’s left and she has Avery settled in her arms. Darcy pushes the almost kiss to the back of her mind and takes care of her daughter. She doesn’t want to think about Steve Rogers or her growing feelings for the man, she has her plate full with a daughter and law school. 

Once Avery is taken care of for the morning, dressed in a cozy sweater and leggings to combat a crisp fall day, she gets herself ready. Darcy pulls on a pair of sweats and henley, comfy wear for a day spent catching up on homework. She’s cooking scrambled eggs for her and Jane, the scientist gazing tiredly into her coffee with Avery on her lap, when Jarvis rings in. 

“Miss Lewis, there is a Mister Shawn Harris in the lobby inquisitive of your presence,” the AI announces. 

Darcy drops the spatula, staring down at the pan of scrambled eggs, her whole body tensing. She stares at Jane, mouth gaping open. “What does he want? What is he even doing here?” 

Jane looks just as surprised. “I don’t know. When did you talk to him last?”

“A year ago.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Darcy nods slowly, moving off her stool a little dazed. She turns off the stove and dishes out the eggs and slides a plate in front of Jane. After wiping her hands on a dish towel, she grabs her phone and begins to head for the elevator. 

Jane perks up, “You’re going to see him?”

Darcy halts in her tracks, her thoughts running wild. “I have to, Jane.”

“No you don’t!” 

“Keep an eye on Avery?”

“Darcy, why? He doesn’t deserve the time of day for whatever he has to say! Please, tell me you aren’t going down there.”

She’s at a lost for words and just shrugs, “he’s her father, Jane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> any thoughts/feelings you have about this chapter you'd like to get out?


	10. coming together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i had a chapter already written but i read all your comments and said "fuck it, i'm gunna mix things up a little". anyway, thanks for those comments and my over active imagination because now we have some excitement. Hope y'all enjoy!

“You gunna talk to the doctors?” Steve asks, looking over at Bucky with his scraggly hair falling down over his eyes and his pale face. They've been staring at each other for the better part of ten minutes, neither knowing what to say or where to start. 

Bucky shrugs his good shoulder, his gaze still on the floor. “Ain’t got nothin’ to say to ‘em.”

“Buck-”

“Ain’t got nothin’ to say to you either.”

Steve stares at his best friend, at a man who used to know but looks so unfamiliar to him now. Bucky hadn’t quite been a chatter box with Steve since he’d come in days ago, he was even less so with everyone else. Steve asked his questions and Bucky answered when he could, it was probably all he could offer to open up about.

The hospital door slides open behind Steve and he’s ready to tear off anyone’s head who came in and disturbed his time with Bucky. His friend stands immediately, eyes glued to the intruder. “Natalia.”

“Yasha,” She nods once before turning her attention to Steve. “Jane is looking for you.”

“What’s wrong?”

Natasha doesn’t show emotion often but there’s something indescribable in her eyes, not fear but concern. “She thinks Darcy has gone missing.”

“What?” He’s up out of his seat, dread filling his body. “Hydra?”

“We think so.”

“How? She wasn’t supposed to leave the building!”

“You need to talk to Jane,” and with that she leaves the room, as quietly as she had come in.

Bucky curls and uncurls his fists at his sides, his jaw clenching. “I gotta go,” Steve tells him, but before he can rush out, he looks Bucky in the eyes. “You’re not going anywhere so don’t even think ‘bout it.”

“They’re after me,” he growls, teeth clenching now in anger.

“We’ll get her back, you just need to stay put.” He doesn’t let Bucky argue, just turns on his heel and rushes out the hospital room to find Jane. Steve fills in the agents outside Bucky’s room, just to make sure that he doesn’t try to escape and take on Hydra by himself. 

He goes to Jane’s apartment first and walks in to find Jane pacing while chewing on her nails. When the door closes behind him, the sound catching Jane off guard in the quiet apartment as she jumps and turns to Steve. There’s a hint of relief but her body is tense and she’s stopped momentarily muttering to herself.

“Thank god, you’re here.”

“Where’s Darcy?”

“She went down to the lobby to meet with someone and it’s been a few hours and she hasn’t returned.”

“Meet with who?”

Jane pauses, face crunching up. “Shawn Harris. I’ve never met him, he’s her ex and Avery’s birth father.”

“Is it possible they’re just at the coffee shop around the corner? The one she likes?”

“Maybe. But she wouldn’t be gone this long. Steve, this doesn’t feel right.”

“What time did this happen?”

“Around ten or eleven? A few hours ago.”

Steve takes a good look at her face, at the concern and worry shining through. A baby cries and Jane’s face falls, she goes to the nursery with Steve hot on her tail. Jane picks up Avery from the crib, rocking her lightly to try and stop the crying. Avery quiets slightly, just enough for them to think again and as wide blue eyes look around the room, looking for her mother. When the baby doesn’t catch sight of Darcy she begins to cry again.

“I’ll run down to the coffee shop and see if she’s there,” Steve tells her, squeezing Jane’s shoulder lightly trying to reassure her.

He pulls himself from the room, wanting to stay and comfort both Jane and Avery but not knowing how. The only thing they want is Darcy and Steve is determined to find her. Not only for them but for himself; because of his growing feelings for the woman. Just as he’s about to exit the room, Jane calls out for him. He pauses and looks back at a frantic looking Jane.

“I don’t know what to do if she’s not at the coffee shop.”

“I’ll find her and bring her home, alright? No matter where she is, I’ll find her.”

Jane nods and a tear falls down her cheek. His first stop is the security reception desk to ask about this Shawn Harris. The incident happened hours ago and there had to be a guard still working that dealt with Shawn Harris wanting to see Darcy and saw them meet up. He closes in on the open desk at the front of the lobby, pushing his way through to talk to an available security guard.

“Which one of you called up this morning to Dr. Foster’s apartment about a Shawn Harris?” He questions, planting his hands on the desk and leaning over.

He catches the man off guard as he scrolls aimlessly through his computer. The name tag reads ‘Angelo’ and he slowly looks up, slightly scared at seeing Captain America. “I did, Sir,” he answers.

“Did you see what happened to him? If Miss Lewis came down?”

“She came down, I saw them talk for a second and begin to head for the back doors in the tower. I got distracted, I’m sorry, I didn’t see where they went after that,” Angelo says.

“All right, son. Thank you for your help.” He tries not to think too far ahead, it’s possible Darcy just lead them out the back way to keep away from the photographers. 

Steve rushes out of the front doors of the lobby not caring if there’s photographers camping out across the street waiting for a sign of him. He pulls his hood over his head and looks down at the ground with shoulders drawn forward, trying to look smaller and less like Captain America, blending into the crowed light Natasha taught him.

The coffee shop is only four blocks and Steve has to keep himself from sprinting there and drawing attention to himself. A ball of anxiety sits in his stomach and the situation doesn’t feel right, especially with it being a day after an attack from Hydra the day before. This guy showing up, whether he be Avery’s father or not, is suspicious and Steve has a feeling it’s not as simple as it appears.

When he finally reaches the coffee shop he has to contain himself from calling out for Darcy the moment he steps inside. It’s crowded with every seat filled and a long line to order. He straightens up to get a peek at all the tables but there’s no sight of her curly brown hair or signature red beanie. He doesn’t hear her voice or her laugh, there’s no sight of Darcy.

Steve ignores the line and goes right up to the register. “Have you seen a woman here? About 5’3”, brown hair, blue eyes, glasses?” He searches in his pocket for his phone and pulls up a picture of Darcy he had taken a few weeks ago of her smiling at Avery who was laughing in her arms.

The kid, looks annoyed until recognition set in as Steve pulls off his hood and sunglasses. “Have you seen her?” Steve repeats.

“I-uh-no-I don’t think so,” the kid stutters out. “Let me go get my manager.”

Steve watches as he walks to the other end of the counter to an older looking man who was making the drinks and preparing orders. The manager wasn’t older than twenty-two and was looking more annoyed than the cashier. He halts what he’s doing, rolls his eyes, and walks over to where Steve waits.

“Look, we’re short on staff and it’s been busy all morning, there’s no way we’re going to know if this woman was in here,” he says, a hint of irritation in his voice that Steve finds really unhelpful in this situation.

“Just take a look, this is really important.” He shows Darcy’s picture and there’s no recognition.

“She hasn’t been in here, not that I know of. Sorry, man.” The manager goes back to his end of the counter, continuing his work.

“Thanks for your time,” Steve says to the first kid, stuffing a twenty in the tip jar that rests beside the cashier.

He tries not to panic as he walks back to the tower. His steps are bigger and he pushes through the light crowd of people, in a hurry to get back to Jane and Avery. Steve is already thinking strategy, where to look and what to do next, his mind is racing and heart hammering. Without thinking, he pushes open the doors to the lobby of the tower going straight for the security desk.

The woman sitting behind the desk straightens almost immediately at seeing Steve. “Mr. Rogers.”

He offers a small, albeit frantic, smile. “I need access to the cameras around the building.”

She looks left then right at the other guards, taking a second to answer, and stands up. “Right this way.” 

Steve follows her through to the back of the building and down the service elevator to the basement. It’s a small maze, working through countless hallways until they reach a plain grey door. The guard swipes her key card and the door unlocks, revealing a room full of screens and a few guards watching.

“Mr. Rogers here needs the room,” she announces, drawing the attention of the three men inside. They turn and look at the woman beside him and then at Steve, with no questions asked, they give him the room.

“I need one to stay to help navigate the computers,” he suggests, looking at the very complicated system that he’s obviously not able to work. 

One guard stays back, an older man with greying hair and dark eyes. His name tag reads John and he ushers Steve into a vacant chair, as he takes back his seat. There’s an air of professionalism about him that comes with years of the job and it’s something Steve appreciates, a calm and clear head compared to his frantic and racing mind.

“I’m looking for someone,” Steve tells the other man as he takes a seat. “She went missing around ten, came down in the Avengers elevator.”

John nods, pulling his rolling chair over to the corner, types a few things. Up on the screen in front of him is the Avengers elevator and they watch quietly as it sits empty and unopened. There’s only a select few with authorization for that elevator it’s mainly the Avengers plus anyone else living in the tower. John fast forwards until the doors open, the time stamp approximately ten thirty.

Darcy steps out, looking irritated, her hair flowing behind her as she stomps her way out of the elevator. “Can we get a look into the lobby?”

John begins typing again, setting up the lobby camera feedback to the exact time that Darcy steps out of the elevator. The screen beside comes to life and it shows Darcy talking to a man though his features are unclear, his back to the cameras. Darcy waves her arms wildly and it almost looks like she’s yelling until all of a sudden she’s not anymore. Her face falls and grows serious, her body flush with his and the man is tall so he ducks his head to whisper into her ear.

Steve watches as Darcy nods slowly, takes the man’s arm and leaves the lobby with him. It doesn’t look right. Darcy is too rigid, her body tense, and there’s stress in her eyes before she turns and leaves. Steve leans forward in his chair, watching as she walks through the back with him to the exit at the back of the tower.

“Can you bring up the cameras at the back of the building?”

It takes a moment until the back of the tower is brought up and they watch as the two exit out the back of the building. Steve watches as a dark van opens up, Darcy being shoved inside the large back compartment. The man gets in the passenger's seat and the van is racing out of the alley. John pauses, rewinds, and zooms in on the van. The windows are tinted so there is no seeing inside, there also happens to be no license plates on the van. 

The feeling of anxiety in Steve stomach grows as quick as Darcy vanishes. They watch through a camera at the side of the building connected to the main street as the van peels around the corner and merges into oncoming traffic. Just like that, they lose sight and access to Darcy and Steve feels a sense of dread over come him, Darcy being kidnapped from what is supposed to be the safest building in New York City. 

John looks over to Steve helplessly. “We can try the CCTV cameras around the city, sir, but I’m afraid I’m not equipped with the skills.”

Steve sands, clamping a hand down on the guard’s shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. “I know someone with the skills. Thanks for your help.”

He doesn’t walk, he runs as he works his way through the underbelly of the Avengers tower. Within minutes he finds his way back to the lobby and hops into the Avengers elevator. “Jarvis, can you gather everyone in the common room? It’s an emergency.”

“Right away, Captain Rogers.”

It feels like everything has been moving in slow motion this morning, since he found out Darcy hadn’t returned, and everything is off kilter in a way it shouldn’t be. Things begin to slow down the moment he steps in the common room and finds the rest of the avengers already congregated, waiting expectantly for Steve to explain. Jane walks in a moment later with a wiggling Avery, Thor striding across the room to them.

“What’s with this meeting, Capsical?” Tony asks, stepping forward placing his hands on his hips.

“Darcy’s missing and we think Hydra has her,” he says. There’s a lot of confused glances so he’s quick to explain. “She had a man call down for her this morning, a man she knew, and she went alone to meet him. I’ve reviewed the cameras, she disappears out the back. The van had no license plate and the windows tinted so you couldn’t see inside.”

“We got a picture of the van?” Tony questions, pulling a Stark Pad from seemingly out of thin air and beginning to tap away. “J, pull this up on the television.”

The television comes to life before them, everyone moving towards the lounge area, standing behind the couch as Tony plays the surveillance tapes. Tony follows Darcy and Shawn Harris as they move from the lobby through the hallways and out into an alley behind the building. Tony types a few more things out and the image changes to the CCTV cameras around the tower. 

“I’m hacking into the city’s camera’s, they might have something,” Tony says, rewinding the videos until it’s around the time Darcy went missing. They wait for the van to pull onto the street, the room thick with suspense and tension, but nothing happens. Then suddenly there’s glitch and all the screens of the cameras surrounding the video cut to grey static. 

“Fuck,” Clint whispers under his breath, cutting through the room. “Are all of them like that?”

“Probably,” Natasha mutters, crossing her arms across her chest and looking rather angry. 

Tony moves things around so that it displays all the CCTV camera’s in a three block radius and they all display the same static. “They hacked into the cameras,” Tony says, shaking his head. 

“It’s not that hard,” Natasha mentions gently and ever so nonchalantly. 

“Can you check the IP address on the computer that initiated the hack?” Bruce questions, stepping forward, brown eyes squinting as he focuses on Tony. 

Stark snaps, turning around looking frustrated, “It just bounces around, there’s no set location that won’t take hours to uncover.” He drops the Stark pad on the couch and Jarvis turns off the television. “How can Darcy go missing without a trace?”

Thor steps forward, away from Jane and Avery. “How do you suggest we find Darcy?”

“She doesn’t have her watch on her, I’ve snuck a GPS inside. Her phone also seems to have been ditched inside the tower,” Natasha says without looking down from her phone.

It’s quiet for a second before Steve finally speaks up. “Can we use her program on her?”

“The one she developed to help find Bucky?” Tony perks up. “Perfect.”

“Set it up for Darcy but also Shawn Harris,” Clint suggests. “They may have gone underground but he’s likely to come out.”

Tony nods, moving around the couch to sit down without tearing his gaze from the Stark Pad. Natasha slips her phone in her pocket. “Jarvis, will you keep an ear out for any communication for ransom?”

“Yes, Miss Romanoff, I will keep all ways of communication open.” Jarvis answers, his tone crisp and polite.

“Run through her accounts, see if she uses any credit cards or accesses any electronic accounts,” Clint suggests. “Nat and I will do some recon on this Shawn Harris.”

Steve watches as the group disperses, Tony moving off the couch and into the elevator to head to his lab. Natasha and Clint quietly follow to do their own work. Thor comforts Jane, who’s on the verge of tears but trying to stay strong. Bruce is giving Avery a quick once over, ensuring Jane’s got everything under control.

Jane clears her throat, “what if we run out of breastmilk before Darcy returns?”

“We’ll have to move over to formula, unfortunately,” Bruce answers, his hand reaching out to squeeze Jane’s shoulder. “We’ll find her before that happens.”

“And if we don’t? What’s going to happen to Avery? How is this going to affect her?” Jane rubs a hand down the infant’s back, Thor pulling Jane into his side in an act of comfort.

Steve can’t move, only watch from a distance. He doesn’t even want to think what will happen if they don’t find Darcy, how they would be losing a friend and Avery a mother. He shakes his head, it’s too dangerous to think like that and he can’t go down that road. Without waiting for Bruce or Thor to respond, Steve crosses the room to the elevator. He’s not sure where he’s going but just knows he needs to do something.

-

Steve hits the gym first, trying to work out his frustrations and feelings of loss. Steve is a tactician, he’s not a spy like Natasha and Clint, nor is he an engineer like Tony. He works with the information he’s given and finds a way to build it into a plan of action. The fact that he’s not able to contribute his skills to find Darcy is killing him.

He rips into a punching bag, his punches harsh and effective. He’s taped his hands but they’ve long since cut open and began bleeding. He’ll take a break and the cuts over his knuckles heal until he’s back at the punching bag, putting all his weight into each and every punch. Natasha comes in between the second and third punching bag he’s destroyed, the contents laying open on the floor at his feet.

“We’ve found something,” She tells him, giving him a look as her gaze looks at the mess he’s made. “Meet us in the conference room.”

Steve shrugs, not caring that he’s using nasty methods to cope and process. He quickly cleans himself up, washing off the dried blood and wiping off the sweat before changing into fresh clothes. He’s forced to take a different elevator, one that leads to the Stark Industries floors, more importantly Pepper’s floor.

Pepper’s office is on one side and a large conference room on the other. Luckily there’s no assistants, because Pepper is across the country so they have the whole floor to themselves. The walls are see through and Jane is pacing while Thor holds Avery in his arms. Clint and Natasha are muttering to each other and Bruce and Tony are arguing.

Steve walks in and all conversations come to a halt. All attention is drawn on Steve, he even catches Avery’s gaze and the infant immediately reaches out for Steve. She squirms in Thor’s grasp and the man hands the baby over to Steve who brings her right in for a tight hug. Avery calms everything inside Steve, pulling him from the ledge and back onto solid ground. The baby relaxes into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder her breath letting out quiet and even puffs against his neck as she begins to relax and fall asleep.

“What’s going on?”

“We found him,” Clint answers, sliding a file across the table towards Steve.

He takes a seat in one of the leather chairs, pulls the folder towards him and opens it with one hand and begins to read. Steve quickly scans over the documents taking his time in reading the two important details. “He’s not really Shawn Harris?”

“Julian Cameron, son of one of the nine heads of Hydra. We’re guessing he went undercover to get to Darcy in 2014 when she returned to Carver, possibly to get information on Jane and her work,” Natasha explains. “He disappeared last September, presumably after the fall of Shield.”

“They kidnapped Darcy to draw Bucky out. They know we have him, if you go after Darcy then they can leverage you against him. She’s a civilian, wouldn’t know any better and can be used and disposed of, an easy target to get to you,” Clint adds softly, almost delicately.

“We’ve got every cop in New York looking for him right now, put a nice price on his head,” Natasha says, her tone almost deadly.

“We’ll find her.” Thor claps him on the shoulder. “I shall make my return to Asgard and talk to my father and Heimdall to see if they are able to locate her.”

Tony curses under his breath, dropping the Stark Pad on the table top. “I wasn’t able to trace the IP address, I’ve followed it again but it bounced across too many destinations and used as a distraction. I also adjusted Darcy’s program to find Bucky, it’s a little stronger than before, we’ll be alerted if any cameras in New York catch sight of them.”

“How does she disappear like that?” Steve questions out loud, confused and angry. “This is bullshit.”

“Preaching to the choir,” Stark drawls lazily.

Jane rounds the desk, coming into the conversation. “If anyone is going to find her it’s you guys.”

“Aye, m’lady, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes we are,” Thor reassures her, pulling her into a hug so fierce the tiny woman is engulfed in his thick muscles and large build.

Bruce takes off his glasses and rubs a hand across his face. “When we find her, I’m sure the Hulk would like to get his hands on those guys who took her.”

Natasha purses her lips, readily agreeing with Bruce. Steve doesn’t know when it’s happened but the redhead has grown fond of Darcy, he’s seen it in the way she softens around Avery and Darcy. Natasha pushing Darcy harder during their training sessions, teaching Darcy all the skills she should ever need.

“Is it possible we’ve missed any Hydra bases in New York?” Natasha asks Steve.

“She might not even be in New York. Get her out so quietly and get her on a plane, they could be anywhere,” Clint says, almost regretting it the moment he speaks the thought.

“That’s a worst case scenario,” Bruce shakes his head, neither wanting to believe that Darcy could be anywhere in the world. If that were true, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

“Maybe Thing Two knows of a few bases he’s been to, ask him,” Tony suggests, his features darkening slightly.

“He’s not going to remember anything,” Steve argues.

“Maybe he will, it’s worth a try,” Natasha chimes in.

“And what’s our next plan of action? We can’t just wait around.” He tries not to raise his voice for the baby in his arms but he’s feeling a sense of frustration and helplessness all boiling under his skin. “Darcy’s been missing for eight hours and we’ve done jack shit!”

Jane slides up beside him, placing a hand on his bicep. “Everyone’s doing their part. We’re all worried and trying our best. We’ll find her, alright?”

“It’s not good enough.”

“We’ll find her, cap,” Clint says, attempting to reassure him.

Steve doesn’t buy it. “How can you be so sure?”

“We have to have hope. Plus, this is Darcy we’re talking about. She once broke a guy’s nose for touching her butt. She’s hacked into Shield to help get Thor out of their custody. And she loves her daughter, there’s not a thing she won’t do to make it back to us,” Jane says, slowly reaching out and taking Avery out of Steve’s arms.

He feels a little deflated but knows that Jane is right. Everyone is doing their part in looking for Darcy and he needs to do his by going to talk to Bucky. He lets Avery go to Jane even though he desperately wants to cling to her, to hold her and smell that sweet baby smell because she’s his link to Darcy.

He ducks his head, “I’ll go and talk to Bucky.”

“Nat and I will dig into the Hydra files we have, see if we can find anything on this guy,” Clint announces.

“I got this thing running smoothly, I got tabs on any findings that come up for the fake Shawn Harris or any known Hydra goons,” Tony adds.

“I’ll take care of Avery for now, if you need us just drop by the apartment,” Jane tells everyone before ducking out the door with a sleeping baby.

Steve watches them go then turns to the surrounding room, Tony immersed in his Stark Pad and Natasha and Clint gathering their things to return to work. Bruce remains seated, unmoving, and staring at the folder that he has pulled in front of him. Steve watches as the two spies and Tony shuffle out of the room, all consumed with their thoughts.

“I often find it helps to talk things out rather than bottle them up,” Bruce says, taking Steve off guard.

“I’m not bottling things up,” Steve grunts, looking over towards the door.

Bruce just gives him an all knowing look. “We’re all scared. Believe it or not, Darcy has had an impact in all our lives. We want her home and safe just as much as you.”

“It doesn’t feel like we’re doing enough,” Steve admits lowly.

“She vanished out of thin air. There’s not much we can do but hope Hydra slips up, makes a demand, or Heimdall finds her for us which will take a lot of Thor’s charm,” Bruce lists the options out. He pauses, then continues. “It’s not your fault.”

Steve feels his shoulders drop, shaking his head. “Hate to disagree with you.”

“I’m good at placing the blame on myself, Steve, and this one? It’s not on you. It’s on Hydra for taking an innocent woman, for trying to use her as leverage whether it be for Jane’s research or to get to you or Bucky. It’s on Shawn Harris or whatever he’s going by for taking advantage of Darcy.” Bruce gets up from his seat, grabbing the folder and as he passes Steve, places it into his hands.

“As much as you say all that, I can’t believe that it’s not my fault.”

“‘We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on.’”

Steve furrows his brows in confusion. “What?”

Bruce smirks. “Food for thought. When we find Darcy, you can ask her all about the wisdom brought from Harry Potter.”

He watches as Bruce leaves the conference room, staring after him still in a haze of confusion. He’s heard of the books and heard many rants from Darcy but pushes that to the back of his mind and takes the words to heart. As much as he’s sinking with hurt and grief for Darcy being kidnapped, he must keep moving and help find her. With that in mind and the folder in hand he takes a trip down to medical to talk to Bucky.

-

Steve visits Bucky every day for four days straight trying to see if he remembers any former Hydra bases. On the fifth day, he’s losing out hope that they’ll find Darcy. Tony has found a few Hydra goons and when they’ve gone to investigate they hadn’t given anything away and moments later were dead via the cyanide pill hidden in a false tooth.

Although, they’ve got nothing to go on and Bucky can’t help them, Steve still goes to visit his best friend. In the few days he’s spent hours with Bucky and they’ve made progress. Bucky still doesn’t talk to any therapists but he talks to Steve about things he remembers and things that are still hazy. Steve fills in a few blanks, memories that still haven’t returned or have been distorted. As much as he loves having his best friend back, he can’t feel the joy because Darcy isn’t there with them.

“Any word?” Bucky asks the moment Steve enters his room. He’s still in the hospital wing, unable to move much farther until reevaluated by the team of psychologists. With him not want to participate in any of their evaluations, this is now his home until further notice.

Steve falls into the empty chair beside Bucky’s bed, his head falling back on the cushion. “All false leads.”

Bucky’s sitting on his bed, the folder of Julian Cameron in his hands lying open on his lap. “Wish I remembered more,” Bucky whispers, looking down and unable to meet Steve’s eye.

“Everyone heals at their own rate. You got 70 plus years to make up for, Bucky, it ain’t gunna happen overnight.”

Bucky shakes his head. “Nah, I remember something. I keep looking at this picture of Julian Cameron and there’s something there. Something bugging me, like I’ve seen this face before but I can’t place where and when.”

Steve leans forward, now alert. “You know Julian Cameron?”

“I don’t know,” he replies, his eyes scrunching up. He opens them again, blue eyes full of confliction staring back at him. “It says he is the son of one of the nine Heads of Hydra, studied at Culver. I think I remember a mission in Virginia,” Bucky pauses, reflecting momentarily. “The hulk.”

“You were there when Bruce destroyed part of Culver?”

Bucky nods. “I remember bits and pieces. I remember watching as this man turns green and starts running through the courtyard. I remember the mission getting redacted before a new mission was shoved into my hands.”

“Why was it redacted?”

“The hulk was unpredictable. In Hydra’s eyes, it wasn’t worth it to have an asset they couldn’t control,” Bucky replies. “There’s a little town in Virginia. I had to get the kid back to the safe house.”

“You think that’s where Darcy is?” Steve asks, hopeful.

Bucky closes the folder and shrugs, looking back down at the manila folder. “You should check around the national parks in Virginia.”

“Buck, you sure?”

He meets Steve’s gaze. “I’m not sure of anything but it’s a place to look.”

Steve rushes to his feet, already getting things in order. He looks back at Bucky, all muscles and large body looking small and defeated on the bed surrounded by white walls. Bucky looks up, gives him a weak smile. “Go get your girl, punk. I’m tired of you moping ‘round me all day.”

Steve smiles at him, heading out of the hospital wing and into the avengers elevator. “Jarvis, can you call everyone into the common room.”

“Sir, everyone is waiting for you already. Thor has returned with Miss Lewis’ whereabouts,” Jarvis responds.

When the elevator stops on the common room floor, Steve practically sprints out. The room is loud and everyone is arguing. Natasha and Clint are pouring over a map at the kitchen table, talking about something indecipherable. Tony and Bruce are discussion things rather loudly, and Thor’s voice booms over the others as he declares the need to take action. Everyone quiets once they catch sight of Steve, looking a little harried and determined.

“What are you all doing here? Let’s go get Darcy,” he says. “You got the coordinates, Thor?”

“Aye, Steven.”

Natasha steps forward. “We can’t go blind into this, Steve.”

“We don’t have time to waste, Natasha. Darcy’s been gone five days, who knows what she’s been through,” he argues right back, eager to get going.

“Natasha’s right,” Clint adds.

“I agree with Steve, let’s go get our girl!” Tony exclaims. “We never have a game plan on surprise attacks, this isn’t any different.”

“If we have the time to prepare, we should take it,” Natasha says, glaring across the room at Tony.

“We’ll prepare on the quinjet,” Steve suggests in a tone very much like Captain America, leaving no more room for argument. “Ten minutes and we’ll meet on the roof.”

Before anyone can move, a cell phone rings in the quiet of the large room. Jane jumps, rearranges Avery to rest on her hip and fishes for her phone in her back pocket. She pulls it out, looking at the display with a hint of confusion before swiping across with her thumb and bringing the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Jane!” Steve hears someone shout, the voice eerily familiar but he doesn’t let himself get excited.

Jane’s face goes through a series of emotions, from shock to confusion, to fear, to happiness. “Darcy?!”

“Janey, tell them to hurry. Fuck, I don’t even know where I am,” Darcy yells into the phone. Steve’s never been more thankful for his super hearing before but he wishes he couldn’t hear the scream from Darcy followed by rustling and ending with dead silence.

The room erupts in chaos, Jane not saying a word. “Can you track that call?” Steve quickly asks Tony, a hint of desperation in his voice. 

“Got the coordinates!” Tony shouts, already bouncing up into action. 

“Roof in five!” Steve yells through the room and everyone sets in motion. 

“Let’s go get our girl!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what'd you think? any thoughts/feelings on this chapter you'd like to express?


	11. coming to realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to the real life Shelby who is as badass in reality as she is in this fic, thanks for letting me borrow your name. I hope this chapter has lived up to expectations. Enjoy!

Darcy wakes to a dark, cold room with a tiny window at the top letting in minimal and pale moonlight. Her right wrist is clasped in a tight cuff, a chain connecting her to a dirty, old bed that happens to be chained to the floor under the window. The room she’s in isn’t very big, smaller than her dormroom freshman year of college. She takes stock of her body, her head a little achy and neck stiff, her limbs heavy, but otherwise unharmed. 

The last thing Darcy remembers is the feel of a barrel of a gun at her back and the prick of a needle against her neck. She remembers her limbs going weak within moments and her vision blurry as she’s pushed and pulled into a van. Shawn is there, setting her down gently and talking in another language to the driver before the world around her goes black. 

Darcy drifts off confused. 

When she wakes again it’s to the room encased in morning light and Shawn standing at the door, arms crossed and studying Darcy a little too close for comfort. The door behind him is open and she’s thankful for them leaving her glasses because she can see the small hallway behind him. There’s a second man standing behind Shawn, just over his shoulder as he looks into the room. 

“Get her something to eat,” Shawn says. “We gotta keep her alive.”

Darcy blinks and the door closes, thick metal slamming shut. Shawn remains in the room and comes to sit down beside Darcy who had sat up on the bed with her knees curled up under her chin. The light from the tiny window above the bed shines perfectly over his face, displaying his dark hair falling over his green eyes but there was something different about him from what she remembered. 

It’s been a year and too much has changed. There are deep purple bags under his eyes, his cheekbones straining under the extreme weight loss, his shirt hanging loosely over his thin frame. Shawn was tall but had muscles from years of playing basketball and soccer, Darcy knew he was an athletic and caring guy but she didn’t see an ounce of that in the man staring back. 

“You’re Hydra now?”

His lips twist into a smirk. “I’ve always been Hydra, sweetheart.”

Darcy blanches, thinking back to their relationship and trying to remember any sign of a Hydra operative. She finds nothing. No hint or trace of the terrorist organization in the way he acted or lived and Darcy would know because she lived with him for six months. She’s met his parents, an older couple who lived on a quiet farm in the middle of Virginia, neither of them screamed secret Hydra agents. 

“What?”

Shawn leans forward. “Exactly as it says on the box.”

“No,” she whispers, meeting his eyes. “I know you, Shawn, you would never be Hydra.”

He barks out in laughter, almost spitting in her face. “My real name is Julian Cameron. I’m the son of Ronald Cameron, one of the nine Heads of Hydra. All you know about me is a lie, darling.”

Darcy feels her heart sink and break at the same time, feeling devastated. It’s not even for her because she can get over a ruined relationship and being played by someone she thought she loved, but her daughter would eventually learn who her birth father was. Avery would have to live with the knowledge that he was an evil man who wanted bad things for the world, and how would she even handle something like that?

“No,” she shakes her head. “This isn’t real.”

He’s not Shawn, never truly was, and Darcy stares up into the cold eyes of Julian. He places a hand on her knee invading her personal space, his voice above a whisper. “This is as real as it’s going to get.” 

A shiver runs down Darcy’s spine and she wants to pull away from him but the handcuff biting into her wrist has her remaining in place. “What do you want?” she bites out.

“To talk of course!” He smiles broadly at her, leaning back and folding his hands together. 

“About what?”

“How about Jane? How is she? I’ve heard that Thor has finally returned, and you know, good for her for finally getting a grip on him. Running around the world trying to get to him was really a bad look for her,” he says with fake sympathy and sarcasm. 

“What do you want with Jane?” She snarls, feeling protective of her boss and best friend. 

“Nothing now,” Julian laughs. “You gave us everything we needed to know last year. You were great service to Hydra, we’re attempting our own Einstein-Rosen bridge.”

Darcy lurches forward at him only to be held back by her wrist being yanked painfully, momentarily forgetting she was chained to the bed. “Fuck you!” 

“You already have, or have you forgotten?” He asks, laughing again. “Now, onto your current boyfriend.”

“I’m not telling you shit!” She spits out, furling her hands into tight fists. What she wouldn’t do to be free of that stupid handcuff just so she can deck him and maybe break his neck. “What do you even want with me?”

“With you? Nothing.” He pauses, grins. “We want our asset back and we know you have him.” Darcy goes quiet, she resists arguing and his green eyes light up. “So you do have him? Oh will this be a pleasure.”

Darcy spits in his face and ends up being backhanded. She holds a hand tentatively over her cheek, soft enough that it doesn’t hurt, though her skin is stinging beneath. There’s too many emotions running through her, shock that someone she once loved would lay a hand on her, disgust that she had once loved him, and hurt that he had led her into this situation. 

Julian eyes her and shakes his head in disapprovement. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He makes his leave without another word. He looks over his shoulder before exiting through the door, “if you want to live, you’d do well to cooperate.”

The steel door slams shut behind him and Darcy can’t tear her gaze away. In the year that she had known Shawn, or rather Julian, he had been nothing but kind and caring towards her. There wasn’t an ounce of hate in his body but she realizes now that was all a lie. It was a facade he was playing, that he hadn’t really loved her the way she loved him. She wonders how she had been so dumb and fallen for him and not seen his ulterior motives, wanting to beat herself up for letting herself be blinded by a handsome man and love. 

Darcy lies down on the creaky old bed, feeling it shift and groan under her weight. Her arm is held awkwardly above her head, causing an ache in her shoulder, so she rolls onto her side trying to make herself more comfortable. The morning sun begins to fill the room and it’s then that she takes in the moldy walls and the toilet beside the bed. She has just enough room in the chain between handcuffs to slip off the bed and onto the toilet if she needs it. 

The door squeaks open and a man walks in swiftly, placing a small loaf of bread and bottle of water on the bed. He’s out the door before the shock of seeing someone wears off and she’s left staring at the door again as if it had never opened. Darcy lowers her gaze to the food placed on the bed, her stomach growls and she realizes it’s almost been almost a full twenty-four hours since she’s eaten. 

Darcy sits up and tears into the bread, the crust hard and the inside no better. It’s the only food she has and there’s no guarantee she’ll be fed lunch or dinner. She takes small bites, washing it down with the water and turning it to mush in her mouth. It’s not the best but it makes do. When her stomach is full she tries to sleep again but all she can think about is her time with Shawn. 

“I should have stayed with jane in fucking London,” Darcy mutters to herself, pulling her coat up and over her ears. It’s freezing cold and she wishes she was anywhere but in Willowdale, trying to walk the ten blocks from her apartment to work. 

She really wishes she didn’t have to come back to Virginia, or that her six science credits would be transferred over, or that she hadn’t missed out on the registration deadline for winter term. Darcy wishes that for once in her life that something would just go right. She’s fumbling with her ipod, trying to change the song through thick wool mittens, that she smacks into someone. 

Darcy almost falls back on her ass, bouncing off the hard mass of body, but instead two hands grab onto her arms and keep her held upright. She slowly looks up into very bright green eyes and dark hair pulled back from a beanie on his head. His smile is lopsided, giving him a childish look about him. 

She pulls herself upright, his hands falling from her arms. “Note to self, don’t walk and text or you’ll run into cute strangers on the street.”

His smile widens. “No worries. You’re Darcy right?”

“Uh yeah,” she draws out. “Do I know you?”

“We had Intro to American Law in freshman year together.”

“With Doctor Shane, right?”

“Yeah!” He exclaims. “And also,” he pauses, snaps his fingers trying to remember. “The crazy professor, the one that got fired for showing up to lectures drunk.”

“Professor Frank! Damn, that was so long ago,” she muses. Darcy doesn’t remember this guy but is has been over five years of a different life and she barely remembers her time at Culver to begin with. “What’s your name again?”

“Shawn. Shawn Harris.”

“Nice to meet you again, Shawn,” she says, unable to tear her eyes away from his intense green eyes as she shakes his hand. “I should really get going or I’ll be late for work.”

“Sure, sure,” he nods. When Darcy makes a move to step around him, he reaches out and stops her. “Maybe we can catch up for real? Coffee at The Bean?”

Darcy’s never been one to turn down a pretty guy with a killer smile. She gives in too easily. “Sunday at 11?”

“See you there,” he smiles, sending her on her way. 

Darcy wakes up to Julian standing on the edge of her room. She’s not even sure when she fell asleep. Julian pulls up a chair from the corner, sitting a few feet from the bed. Darcy remains lying down in bed, pulling her knees to her chest. She can’t tear her gaze away from Julian, unable to believe this is the man he chooses to be. 

“Was any of it real?” She asks softly, feeling vulnerable and exposed.

“No,” he answers, and thankfully there’s nothing in his voice, no teasing or sarcasm. 

“You never went to Culver, did you?”

“I did.”

“But you were never in my Intro to Law, were you?”

He laughs. “I hate law, it’s all bullshit.”

“Says the Hydra puppet,” she remarks, rolling her eyes. 

Julian leans forward, elbows resting on his knees so he’s eye level with Darcy. “And what do you think your sweet Captain America is? Do you know the history of your beloved?”

“I’m not dating Steve.”

“He was a puppet far before either you or I were even born. Engineered to be the face of the war, to sell bonds, the lead of a U.S.O. show. He’s always been a puppet,” Julian explains, a smirk growing on his lips. “Shield may have fallen but the Captain has failed to cut his strings. Does his nose grow just like pinocchio?”

“Fuck off.”

Julian leans forward, giving her leg a squeeze. Darcy kicks out, hitting his nose and eliciting a solid crack throughout the room. He pulls back, his nose beginning to bleed. Julian covers his nose but the blood flows between fingers and Darcy gets a sick sense of joy from seeing him bleed. 

He pulls the chair back to the corner and stands at the door waiting to be let out. He sneers at her from across the room, his teeth bloody. “We have great plans for you, Darcy.”

The door slams closed and once again Darcy is alone. She turns onto her back, her arm suspended above her head, held awkwardly, and she begins to count to waste time. The light creeping through the tiny window tells her it's close to dusk and the sun is setting, her second day missing coming to an end. 

She spends the third and fourth day finding a way to escape. Darcy studies the window above her bed but she would never be able to squeeze her way out of it, plus the iron bars on the outside would be an issue. The same guard comes in as the day before to drop off two meals, one at dawn and the other at dusk. He’s older, roughly forty, and has muscles up to his ears. It’s obvious he doesn’t speak any English when she pleads with him to set her free and he returns with a foreign language and scowl. 

Darcy comes to the conclusion she’s doomed to the room for the time being. She can easily break her thumb and slip out of the handcuff, the only reasons she hasn’t already is because she has no solid plan to follow. Unless she were to ambush the beefy dude that feeds her, there’s no knowing what’s in that hallway or where it leads to. She has no idea where she is, if she’s even still in the state or country. She’s not one to sit and wait but until a better plan presents itself, that’s exactly what Darcy plans to do. 

The fifth day is a bit of a shit show because Julian bursts through the door in the middle of the day, demanding her to get up. Darcy tries to kick him when he comes close enough and he just ends up spitting at her and turning away, leaving her alone for a few more hours. When someone comes for her again, it’s a smaller blonde woman that reminds her of Jane. 

There’s a man behind her, all muscles and scowl but she pays him no mind. The woman unlocks the cuff from the bed and helps her to her feet, her grip surprisingly strong for someone who rivals the height and size of a child. Darcy is helped to her feet, the man across the room just watching with his arms crossed, lips permanently turned downward into a frown. Darcy doesn’t take much time to analyze him, doesn't see past his muscles but her eye catches on the handgun at his hip. 

She turns around, speaking in a foreign tongue her voice harsh and unrelenting. The man rolls his eyes, replies, and steps outside. The woman turns back to Darcy, smiles, and gently pulls her hands behind her back and cuffs them together. She remains guarded, aware of this woman who is treating her with kind hands and offering soft smiles. 

Darcy takes a split second to study this woman, her tiny stature and thin blonde hair, brown eyes make her seem perfectly ordinary. Her black clothes fit her slim build, perfect for blending in. Darcy’s not even sure how to feel about this woman. Is she a threat? Would she help? Can Darcy take her down and grab for the gun at her hip once her hands are free? 

The woman closes the distance, meeting Darcy’s questioning gaze. “I need you to trust me. I’m part of Shield, my name is Shelby, and I have relations to Agent Barton and Romanoff.” She doesn’t give Darcy a chance to respond, just leans forward so her lips are beside her ear. “Alabaster.” 

Darcy pulls back, meeting this woman’s eyes, and goes with her gut. Clint had let her in on a few Shield secrets, one being a code word used for undercover agents to help anyone kidnapped by the enemy. Never had Darcy thought she’d been happy to hear such a stupid word, but she gives Shelby a nod, willing to follow her lead. 

Shelby gives her a tight smile. “They’re getting you ready to send a message,” she says, leaning in close. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, alright?”

“The fury cannot be tamed,” Darcy states, just needing to know she’s not being played. 

“The fury is within us all,” she answers. “Follow my lead, I’ll get you to safety.”

Darcy nods, letting herself be forced forward, hand at her elbow. She’s lead into a short hallway of what looks like an unfinished basement but before she can see more, she’s being shoved into a separate room. There’s a lone chair in the middle facing a camera, Shelby leading her into the vacant seat. 

Her arms are forced around the back of the wooden chair, her back arched uncomfortably, and her limbs weak from the little walk between rooms. “They will come for you, do not tell them anything. I’ll be setting up a distraction,” Shelby whispers into her ear before disappearing from her sight. 

Darcy’s left in that chair, surprisingly not tied down, and the room is dark save for the light shining down on her. The door she entered in remains closed, steel and reinforced just like her cell. She remains seated, gazing into the air at nothing, trying to remain calm for the impending shit storm that is about to begin. Everything in Darcy is willing to blindly trust this woman because she’s so desperate to get out of this hell hole, there’s nothing to lose. 

The door slams open, breaking Darcy out of her thoughts, revealing an army of men. The head leader, surprisingly not Julian is skinnier and older visibly lacking muscles. Though he’s flanked by other men in muscles, the goons that do the dirty work and she’s really hoping they’re not there to fuck her up. 

The head guy pulls up a chair in front of Darcy, smiling slyly at her with his yellow teeth. He’s old enough to be her grandfather, grey hair slicked back and tanned wrinkled skin that show his age. He leans in, trying to appear threatening but Darcy just wants to escape his foul breath and regain distance between them. 

“Do you know why you are here?” He questions, his voice thick with a German accent. 

Darcy rolls her eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? To fuck shit up like normal?”

“You’ve got fire,” he notes, leaning back in his chair again. “I like that.”

“Fuck you.”

He just laughs and folds his hands over his lap. “Now let’s get down to business. We want our asset back.”

“He’s not your asset,” she grinds out. 

“Hydra has paid a lot of money for him. We created him and we’d like him back.”

“He’s not your property,” she spits out. 

The leader of the group smiles at her and leans back in his chair. “Let’s get started then.”

He pulls the chair away and the goons step forward. It’s a relatively small room so only three of them can fit in there comfortably, the leader stepping back behind the camera to give them room. One remains with the leader while the other two flank her sides, staring down at her with matching scowls. Darcy arches her brow and rolls her eyes because how original of Hydra. 

The leader, Darcy wants to call him Lazy Eye because his left eye droops a little, stands behind the camera and turns it on. “State your name,” he demands. 

“Darcy Lewis,” she answers automatically. 

She rolls her eyes again. Hydra is literally taking this out of every bad action movie with a kidnapped protagonist. She knows they’re going to film this thing and send it to the Avengers, dangling Darcy as bait so they’ll leave the tower. It’s obvious that is when they’ll strike, grab Bucky while everyone is out trying to save precious little Darcy. 

She hopes Shelby comes through with her distraction, needing to be freed sooner rather than later. She’s not trying to be a martyr or anything but when it comes to her home, her friends, her family, she will literally do anything to help them. Right now, she’s not even sure if they’re on their way but there’s the possibility of a way out and she’s going to take it. 

A thug tugs hard on her hair, bringing Darcy back to the present. “What?” She snaps, looking up at the thug to her left. 

“Answer the question,” Lazy Eye says, looking annoyed and furious with his twitching eye. 

“What question?”

Before anyone can answer, there’s a loud bang and the room shakes. Lazy Eye looks up at his goons alarmed, ordering something in another language and the goons are gone. Darcy takes that as a signal and bares weight down on her thumb, the sickly crack lost in the commotion from the floor above them. 

Pain radiates through her thumb and up her hand but she ignores it in favour of slipping her hand out of the handcuff. She grips the empty cuff in her right hand, her dominant hand with the unbroken thumb and the cuff still clasped onto. She holds it to use like brass knuckles, knowing a swift punch with the metal in her hand would knock someone around good. 

There’s one thug left in the room with Lazy Eye, they’re conversing angrily in what Darcy is going to assume is German, neither paying her any mind. The door to the room is wide open and she’s desperate to slip out unnoticed but she’s not swift or quiet enough to pull it off. She waits patiently in her seat for one of them to notice her, in the meantime looking for the weapons on the thug. She’ll need to disarm him and use his weapons for a chance of escape, it’s a slim chance that anything she tries will work out but she’s running on hope and her month's worth of training with Natasha. 

Lazy Eye ends the conversation, making his way towards Darcy which is a mistake. He’s old and looking a little fragile, Darcy can easily overpower him. When he’s within reach, she kicks him hard in the shin, his body reacting and bending forward. That’s when she stands up, kneeing him in the nose, a sickening crunch echoing through the room and churning her stomach. Lazy eye is passed out on the ground, blood seeping from his nose. 

The thug looks at her, pulls his gun and is about to shoot when another gun goes off, the goon falling heavily to the ground. Darcy looks up to find Shelby standing in the doorway breathing heavily and blood coating her black shirt. Darcy’s never been so happy to see someone looking bloody. With a slight nod from the blonde, Darcy is running out of the chair and towards freedom. 

Shelby shoots the thug again when he tries to stand up, sending a bullet through his left shoulder. “Grab his gun,” she instructs, nodding down to the gun in the thugs outstretched hand. 

Darcy quickly grabs his gun out of the goon’s left hand, the guy slowly blinking up at her as he loses consciousness. The weight of the handgun feels familiar and she’ll forever be grateful for Clint showing her a thing or two about guns, because while she’ll always love her taser it’s not going to do shit in a situation such as this. 

“You’ve got thirty rounds in that Glock, use ‘em wisely,” Shelby instructs before leading her out of the room and into the hallway. 

Darcy doesn’t pay the bodies on the ground any mind. There’s minimal blood, most of the thugs knocked unconscious which realistically doesn’t give them much time. She carries the Glock low, pointing it at the ground with her finger resting beside the trigger, keeping her sights set past Shelby. Darcy breathes slowly, trying to keep her composure, feeling her heart practically beating out of her chest. Shelby slowly inches her way up the stairs and Darcy follows close behind, trying to be as quiet as possible. 

“We’re on the edge of a national park, you get to the front door and you run,” Shelby says, slipping something into a pocket of her dirty sweatpants. “Don’t worry about me, alright?”

Darcy nods, following Shelby’s lead when she raises her gun up once they reach the landing. She remembers most of Clint’s teachings, mainly to aim for the chest because it’s the largest body mass. The door to what Darcy now knows is a basement is slightly ajar, no movement or noise past it, so they keep moving.

The upper floor is burnt to a crisp, the distraction Shelby created looking like a small bomb. Countless men are passed out, only a few with blood pooled beneath their bodies. Darcy tries not to pay them any mind, not wanting to think if they’re alive or dead and if she’s the reason, again, why someone is dead. Shelby inches forward, moving through the floor with practiced ease. Surprisingly to Darcy, the damn place is a house and a picture on a wall she passes gives away exactly who’s house she’s in. 

Footsteps are coming from the back of the house, Shelby moving instinctively towards the noise. Darcy reaches out for her jacket, halting her. “Don’t leave me.”

A shot rings off and Shelby pushes Darcy behind her. “Go!”

Shelby rushes forward, towards the men who were racing down the hallway. Darcy runs to what she assumes is the direction of the front door. The house is large, multiple rooms all bleeding into one another. She passes the kitchen to find it a smoking mess, she bypasses that room for the next with relief flooding through her when she sees a front door. 

Darcy swings the door open, practically running through the thing and almost falling down the porch stairs. There’s freedom in her horizon, a heavily wooded area and shelter of trees, and Darcy just needs to keep running. There’s about twenty feet from the house to the woods and Darcy’s running as fast as she can, jumping down the stairs of the porch and onto the grass. Only, there’s a solid chest and she runs right into it causing her to fall back on her ass. 

“Where’s you goin’, Darce?” Julian question, staring down at her. 

“None of your fucking business,” she answers, pushing herself up to stand, coming chest to chest with him. 

Julian goes to grab her arm and Darcy comes up swinging, punching his across the jaw. That does nothing to phase him, his green eyes shining with amusement as he laughs at her. Darcy takes a step back and aims the gun at his face, aiming for his nose which is inches from the barrel. Julian stops laughing at the sight. 

“You wouldn’t,” he dares, as if he knows what she’s going to do. 

“Try me,” she threatens because there is literally nothing stopping her from pulling that trigger. Darcy wants to go home, she wants to be out of this shitty situation and back in her apartment with her family, her real family and not the piece of shit standing in front of her who once claimed to be her family. 

Darcy doesn’t waver, locking gazes with him where green meets blue. “You think you’ll get far in there?” He questions, waving blindly behind him to the forest. 

“Better chances than you making it out of this alive,” she says, beginning to move around so that her back is toward the forest and Julian follows her lead making his back towards the front door. 

A sudden commotion distracts the both of them, as gunshots ring out through the air from the other side of the house. Julian steps forward, knocking the gun out of Darcy’s hand and she helplessly watches as the gun falls to the ground. She scrambles after it, jumping onto the gun but Julian has a similar idea, falling on top of Darcy trying to wrestle it out of her. 

It’s a struggle and she feels it begin to slip from her grasp, Julian obviously stronger. Darcy turns her body, unsure where the gun is pointing and desperately hoping it’s not pointed at her. Julian pulls the trigger, Darcy freezing in her struggle the loud gunshot ringing through her ears. Julian goes still beside her and Darcy just waits for the pain to come but there’s nothing. 

Julian falls back onto the grass, Darcy watching as a red bloodstain begins to show through his blue shirt growing larger by the second. Julian gasps up at her and Darcy wants to run but there’s something holding her to that moment making her want to help him. She meets his eyes, there’s life still in them and it’s eerily similar to the look he gave her on the day he left over a year ago. 

Darcy’s coming home from a three hour lecture feeling utterly exhausted, the caffeine she had that morning doing nothing for her. It’s pumpkin spice latte season and she’s already had two, neither cup helping her stay awake during her class. Darcy was a little surprised when the professor gave a slight kick to her foot and she’ll forever be cursing the idea of taking an aisle seat in the front row. 

School had just begun and summer was fading into fall, one of Darcy’s favourite seasons. She had been living with Shawn for the past six months and was loving every minute of it, was loving the idea of a normal life sans Shield or any Nordic Gods. Though she missed Jane, she still kept in contact with the woman, Darcy was ready to finish her degree. 

“Honey, I’m home!” She calls out the moment she steps into the apartment, loving the tradition she and her boyfriend of ten months had created when the first moved into their little off-campus apartment. This was the first place since her childhood home that actually felt like her home and Shawn was a big part of that. 

Darcy shrugs off that no one answered her, unwraps her scarf and drapes her coat over a kitchen chair. She makes her way through the apartment, dropping her school bag on the couch where she’ll dig into her textbooks later. There’s movement coming from the bedroom and Darcy makes her way to the back room. 

Shawn has a duffle bag open on the bed and he’s quickly rushing around the room and throwing his clothes haphazardly into the bag. Darcy shakes her head, stepping into the room. “You should fold them so they don’t get wrinkly,” she tells him, moving to the bed to fold the clothes. “Where we going?”

“We aren’t going anywhere,” he says, shoving past her as he shoves the last piece of clothing into his bag. “I’m leaving.”

Darcy furrows her brows, “where are you going?”

“Away from here,” he snaps, zipping up his bag and shoving it onto his shoulder.

“Why?” She asks, following him out of the bedroom. 

Shawn shakes his head though she can’t see his expression. “Everything in D.C., I can’t be here anymore. There’s no point.”

“No point?”

Shawn turns on her when he reaches the door. “I’m leaving. We’re done. Just drop it.”

“What? Shawn, you’re not making any sense.”

“We’re done,” he repeats, green eyes cold and lips pursed. 

Darcy searches his eyes, looking for the man she fell in love with but finding a stranger. She wants to fight with him, to beg him to stay but before she can form a buttle he’s out the door. Darcy remains stunned for a moment or two before pushing herself into action, following him down the stairs and out of the building. 

She watches as he gets into a car parked on the side of the street, a strange man she doesn’t know is driving. Shawn just stares at her through the window, his gaze unrelenting and expression blank. He leaves her on the sidewalk, the car peeling away and that’s the day everything in her life goes to shit. 

“Darcy, run!” Shelby yells, peeling around the side of the house. 

Darcy stares down at Julian, watching the life drain from his eyes. He’s unmoving and devoid of any life, staring up cold and unseeing, she knows he’s gone and something in Darcy refuses to believe it. The commotion begins to sound closer and Darcy manages to tear herself away from Julian, forgetting about the gun and scrambling to her feet. Shelby is hot on her heels as they make way towards the forest, the other woman constantly looking over her shoulder and shooting at the men chasing them.Darcy moves her legs faster, watching her step over exposed roots and fallen branches. 

Her limbs are stiff from four days of remaining motionless, her lungs burn from physical exertion, and there’s only one thing pushing her forward and that’s her daughter. Darcy has pushed thoughts of Avery aside, not wanting to go into a dark place but now she was using it as fuel to propel her forward to freedom. Her daughter only had one parent and Darcy would do everything in her power to ensure she didn’t end up with no parents, much like Darcy herself. 

Shelby helps her push forward, reassuring her through every step. They only slow when they’re a safe distance away from the house. Shelby immediately crumples, falling to the ground as she grips at her side. Darcy drops to the ground beside her, pulling away the hands that clutch at the wound, blood coating small, pale hands. Shelby looks up at Darcy, pain in her brown eyes, “it’s only a graze.”

“You ran with a gunshot wound? Are you fucking crazy?” Darcy questions, whispering harshly. 

“I slipped a phone in your pocket, make your call now,” Shelby orders, her face scrunching up in pain. 

Darcy pulls the phone out from her pocket, immediately calling Jane. “Hello?”

“Jane!” She yells, once her friend answers the phone. 

Darcy’s heart beats against her rib cage in exertion and in utter relief. Jane is quiet on the other end for a few moments and then she’s shouting, “Darcy?!”

“Janey, tell them to hurry. Fuck, I don’t even know where I am,” Darcy yells into the phone. There’s a faint rustling and Darcy scares herself, turning too quickly for her feet that she trips over a rock and sends herself falling backward. 

She doesn’t catch herself on solid ground, instead she happens to fall over a cliff. She rolls once, twice, the phone flies out of her hand and a sharp pain erupted through her skull when her head hits a stone. Darcy’s body is still falling, still rolling and hitting off sharp objects, when her world turns black and she loses consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what'd you think? any thoughts/feelings on this chapter you'd like to express?


	12. coming home to family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happily holiday, friends! I did not abandon this fic and I really hate it took 3+ months to update but school and work and life got in the way, coupled with writers block and a pre-written chapter that just wasn't living up to expectations. It's all fixed though and I'm finally getting this out (which feels so damn good to finish the chapter from hell). Up next is the epilogue which shouldn't take another 3+ months to get out (hopefully). Anyways, hope y'all enjoy!

_ Darcy blinks awake, curling into the blanket that’s pulled up tight to her chin. She rubs her nose against the teddy bear curled up under her arm, and settles into the warmth of her bed. Her little legs stretch out, arms springing up above her head as a yawn escapes her lips. Absent mindedly she reaches for her glasses on her end table, slipping them up onto her nose and allowing her to see the large snow flakes falling past her window.  _

_ She springs out of the bed as quick as her little legs will allow, rushing to the window. Her mother said it was supposed to snow overnight giving them a white christmas, a happy surprise to her morning. Darcy trips over the sheet that had wrapped itself around her legs in the night, sending her tumbling to the floor, feet away from her window, sending an echoing bang throughout the house.  _

_ When she peeks up beneath a mess of brown curls, her bedroom door opens to reveal her mother smiling down at her. “Let me help you up, darling,” she says, her voice sweet, stepping into the room and failing to hide her laughter.  _

_ With help from her mother she escapes the confines of her bedsheets and jumps into her mothers’ arms. “It’s Christmas!” _

_ Her mother laughs, hugging her tight. “It is! Merry Christmas, my love.” _

_ “Merry Christmas, Momma.” _

_ She hugs her mother tight, arms wrapping around her neck and burying her nose in her hair, breathing in the familiar lavender shampoo. Darcy smiles to herself, relishing in her mother’s warmth and love, never wanting to let go. Her mother, however, pulls back and brushes the hair out of Darcys’ eyes. “Shall we go see what Santa has brought you?”  _

_ Darcy nods wildly, pushing away from her mother and scrambling out of her bedroom. Her father stands at the bottom of the stairs, a cup of coffee in his hands and smiling up at her. “Merry Christmas, Darcy!” _

_ “Merry Chirstmas, Daddy!” She runs down the stairs, running right into him and wraps her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Darcy shifts her gaze from up at her father to the entry of their livingroom where she can see the edges of the chistmas tree.  _

_ Her father laughs, “go take a look, sweetheart.” _

_ Santa doesn’t wrap his presents so they’re all neatly laid out in front of the tree and as she enters the living room, she takes in the new collection of toys. Darcy drops to her knees amongst the toys, little hands grabbing at the barbies and stuffed animals, fluttering over the cars, and finally her eyes settling on the wooden toboggan. Darcy turns around, looking over her shoulder to her parents who were hovering in the entryway, watching her with such love and adoration in their eyes.  _

_ “I can’t wait to play with them all!” She yells, running over to her parents and hugging them both as tightly as her arms allow.  _

_ “Will you go get the camera?” Her father asks, running a hand over her hair.  _

_ She nods and runs out of the room to grab the camera from the kitchen. When she returns, her parents remain floating on the edge of the living room, taking in the scene in front of them. Darcy comes to stand between them, noticing she’s now the same height and when she locks eyes with her father she sees her reflection in his glasses thats she’s no longer the seven year old girl but rather a woman.  _

_ “Daddy, come play!” A little voice calls out, drawing Darcy’s attention. Her father doesn’t move but instead another figure brushes past her mother and enters the living room, the man dropping down to his knees beside the little girl.    _

_ “What did Santa bring you, Angel?” the man says, leaning forward and examining the gifts under the tree.  _

_ The little girl looked so much like Darcy did when she was that age with curls just as wild but her hair was shades lighter and her build was slim. She looks over to her father with green eyes, not blue, and without glasses. As much as there are differences, Darcy takes note of the similarities in her features, the pale skin and red lips, the little button nose.  _

_ “Avery,” Darcy whispers, wanting to reach out and wrap up her baby in her arms.  _

_ Her mother wraps her arm around her shoulder, hugging Darcy into her side. “She’s beautiful, my dear.” _

_ “She has that Lewis nose,” her father comments, smiling.  _

_ “Look a science kit!” Avery exclaims, holding up a rectangular box. “Auntie Jane will love this.” _

_ The man laughs, ruffling her hair. “So will Bruce and Tony. They must have given Santa a few suggestions.” _

_ The voice is so familiar and Darcy is trying to place it. It’s only when he looks over his shoulder that she sees who it is. “Steve,” she says in surprise, taken off guard that he’s there with her daughter and she’s calling him ‘daddy’.  _

_ “I can’t wait to show them!” Avery exclaims, staring down at the box in wonder. She places it down beside her carefully, moving on to the other presents. “Daddy, look!” Avery holds up what looks like a pen but they both know it’s a weapon, coloured red and gold, and Steves’ face pales.  _

_ “Looks like Uncle Tony has been sneaking presents under the tree again. Let’s not play with that.” Steve says, taking the object out of her hand and placing it out of reach on top of the fireplace mantle.   _

_ Darcys’ heart melts a little at the scene in front of her ands she so badly wants to join them. Her father squeezes her hand, his rough hands familiar. “You can have all this, Darcy,” her mother says.  _

_ “You just have to keep your heart open. This could be your future if you allow it,” her father adds.  _

_ “I want that,” Darcy aggrees. The only thing holding her back is her parents, each having a grip on her. She looks over at her mother, the same blue eyes staring back at her, then to her fathers’ grey ones, both reflecting their love for her.  _

_ Slowly, her father gives her hand one last squeeze before letting it go and her mother wraps her arms around her tightly in a hug. “We love you, Darcy, but it’s time you join your family,” she says into her ear.  _

_ Darcy pulls back confused, rooted into place, as she watches her parents slip through the front door of the house. She takes a step forward to go after them but something stops her and then Averys’ yelling her name. “Mommy, come play with us!”  _

_ She turns around to Steve and Avery both kneeling beside the tree and takes a step in their direction, joining them.  _

* * *

Darcy slowly regains consciousness, the strange dream slipping from her memory. Her eyelids feel heavy, her head pounding, and she contemplates going back to sleep. Everything is blurry when she opens her eyes and there’s a distinct lack of light, momentarily Darcy’s back in that cell panic filling her chest. Her heart beats wildly out of her chest and she’s desperately trying to find a way out, though it’s rather hard to see and everything is shaped as blurry blobs.

She wants to escape but she’s paralyzed with fear, her body feeling heavy and her muscles not cooperating. A tear falls from the corner of her eye and she’s trying to slow her breathing, trying to blink away the tears so she can see again. Darcy let out a whimper, fighting against the panic rising in her chest to just push her way back to reality. 

Suddenly, someone squeezes her hand tightly and then a soft, familiar voice whispers to her. “You’re okay, you’re safe now. I got you, Darce.”

Jane. 

Darcy slowly opens her eyes again, staring up at Jane’s friendly, brown eyes, a small smile on the woman’s face. Her heart rate slows, panic subsiding, and that’s when Darcy can hear the faint beeping from the heart monitor and takes stock of her obvious hospital room surroundings. Her thoughts are a little blurry and exhaustion is tugging to pull her back to unconsciousness but she fights against it. She wants answers. 

“What happened?” She manages to get out. 

Jane sits on the bed, leaning over so Darcy can see her without turning her head or needing her glasses. “You were kidnapped, do you remember?”

Darcy closes her eyes and gives a slight nod, “Shawn.”

Jane gives her hand a squeeze. “Yeah, you were gone for five days. You saved yourself though, Darce.”

“No Shelby.”

“You saved both you and her. We found you over an hour after your call, both unconscious. Shelby has a minor gunshot wound but you had fallen down a small cliff. You made the call to save both your lives, Darce.”

“She okay?”

“Yeah, she’s in the next room over,” Jane smiles sadly down at her. “How do you feel?”

“Good,” she mumbles, trying to give Jane a thumbs up but finds her free hand in a white cast.

“I should go get the doctor.”

“Later,” Darcy whispers, feeling the tug of exhaustion begin to pull her under. 

“Later,” Jane agrees, moving off the bed just as Darcy’s eyes flutter close. 

When Darcy wakes again her head feels clearer and though there’s still pain remaining it’s easier to push it to the back of her mind. She’s able to take stock of her injuries, which seems to be everywhere because everything fucking hurts. The most noticeable is the cast around her wrist, the thumb she needed to dislocated to get out of the handcuffs. Her head hurts like hell, a dull ache radiating through her brain and she just wants to go back to sleep. 

Darcy tries to scratch her nose, her fingers sliding across her cheek accidently and grazing a bandage. She drops her hand back onto the bed in defeat, accidentally waking up Jane who was passed out with her head resting awkwardly on the bed. Jane shoots up in her chair, blinking wildly to regain her surroundings, a slow smile spreading across her lips. 

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Like death,” she breathes out, wincing. “Glasses?”

Jane disappears but returns moments later, helping Darcy slide her extra pair of glasses onto her face. Darcy relaxes now that she can see again. Everything in the distance was blurry but now she can make out the hospital room she’s in, the sliding glass doors revealing the corridor. There’s a few balloons in the corner and vases lining the window sill but Darcy doesn’t really care about them all that much. 

She looks over to Jane, who’s looking down at her hands and she can read that look as clear as day. “Darcy...” Jane begins.’ 

“Don’t.”

Their eyes meet, Jane’s filled with guilt. “It’s all my fault. If-”

“Janey,” Darcy warns because she knows where her best friend is going with this. “It’s not your fault.”

“Darcy, If I had-” 

She lets out a groan in pain when she twists the wrong way, muscles protesting as she tries to reach out to shut the other woman up. Jane is out of her seat in seconds, hovering over Darcy as she checks over her. Darcy stares up at Jane, takes in the concern, and has so many questions. 

“How bad is it?” Darcy asks, meeting Jane’s eyes. 

“I’ll go get the doctor,” Jane says, pulling away and straightening up. 

Darcy shakes her head. “I want my baby.”

“Darce.”

“Jane,” she levels right back.

“Doctor first.”

She gives a faint nod, sinking back into the pillows, agreeing to Jane’s terms. Darcy takes a shaky breath, scanning around the hospital room and it finally hits her that she’s alone. After five days of torture and almost dying, Darcy had found her way back. She’s broken and bruised, maybe wants to sleep for the next few years, but she’s safe again. 

The doors to the medical floor are glass, allowing Darcy the perfect view to her outside surroundings which gives her some relief. She watches as Jane talks to a man at the nurses station quietly but something over Jane’s shoulder catches her eye. Darcy follows her line of sight to a row of chairs against the wall, Steve hunched forward with his head in his hands while Sam talks quietly into his ear. She meets Sam’s eye across the distance and he gives her a small smile before ducking his head and finishing his conversation with Steve. 

Before Darcy can dwell on them Jane returns with a doctor in tow. The man is older, grey hair and a receding hairline, his glasses fall down his long nose which he pushes back up his as he looks down at her chart. Jane takes her seat beside Darcy, gripping her uninjured hand and squeezing a little too tightly. 

“Welcome back, Miss Lewis,” the doctor says, looking up from his notes and smiling. “My name is Dr. Wellens, I’m one of the trauma surgeon's Mr. Stark has on retainer.”

“Hey,” Darcy greets.  

“Let’s get down to the gritty details, shall we?” Dr. Wellens suggests, moving closer to the bed so Darcy doesn’t have to strain her eyes. She’s thankful that Jane brought her extra pair of glasses so she can actually see.

“You’ve been unconscious for the past twelve hours, your body beaten up and exhausted after the trauma, and we’ve been keeping a close eye on you as you rest. You do have a mild concussion and a few abrasions which required stitches. Your thumb was dislocated and a colles fracture of your wrist, meaning when you fell down that cliff you braced yourself upon landing forcing all your weight onto your wrist. Typical healing time of six to eight weeks and we’d like to keep you for an additional night before sending you home.”

Darcy tries to take it all in but her head hurts and she wants to go back to sleep. “That it?” She questions, a bite in her voice. 

“We have you on fluids and you should monitor what you eat for the next few days with small amounts. If you have any pain or discomfort let a nurse know and we’ll give you some pain medication,” Dr. Wellens says, giving her a tight smile and nod before ducking out of the room. 

Darcy turns to Jane with more questions. “Where are we?”

“Washington,” Jane answers. “It was the closest city with an adequate trauma center. Stark called in one of his doctors to meet us here, hence Dr. Wellens.” 

“And Avery?”

“She’s fine, Darce.” Jane smiles, reaching out and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “She’s with Thor in New York. I was taking care of her while you were gone but as soon as we found you, we switched places. A hospital isn’t the best place for a baby but you’ll be back home tomorrow.”

Darcy closes her eyes, taking a deep breath trying to process everything, then opens her eyes and meets Janes’ gaze with a question. “And I’ll be able to breastfeed when I get home?”

“I’ve consulted with your pediatrician while you were missing because we had to put her on formula. As long as you’re still producing milk you’ll be able to breastfeed,” Jane reassures her. 

“Good,” she smiles, though her heart is aching to hold her baby again. Darcy melts into the mattress, relaxing as she gets settled. “I’m just gunna take a nap now.”

Jane laughs and squeezes her hand. “Get some rest, Darce.”  

When Darcy wakes up hours later, the lights are off in her room and the chair beside her bed empty. There are lights outside by the nurses station on low, a few nurses mulling around the desk. When she looks out her window, the shades open just an inch, she takes in the darkness outside and knows Jane has probably gone for some rest of her own. Darcy takes this as her opportunity and slowly pushes herself up out of bed, slipping her bare feet into the slippers at the edge of her bed.  

She spots a suitcase on the ledge of the window sill and slowly works her way over, pulling out a robe that Jane had packed and slipping it over the hospital gown. Darcy grips onto her IV stand, using it for support, as she shuffles out of her room and looking through the glass doors until she finds a head of blonde hair residing in one of them. 

Shelby’s room is a few doors down, the nurse's eye her but don’t say anything and allow her to slip into the room. Shelby is awake and reading a book in bed, giving Darcy a wide smile as she enters the room. She takes the empty chair beside the bed, sinking into the hard plastic but finding relief at the slight change of surroundings. Darcy lets out a sigh, relaxing into the high back chair. 

“Needed a change of scenery?” The other woman question. 

Darcy smiles. “Something like that. Though no much a change of scenery here, my room is identical to yours. It does feel good to be out of bed.”

“Tell me about it,” Shelby laughs. “So how are you doing?”

“I’m alright, they’re letting me go home tomorrow. How about you?” 

“It wasn’t just a graze,” she admits, wincing slightly with her hand resting on her abdomen. “It did miss all major organs, the adrenaline kept me going until it didn’t anymore. But you got us out of there, Darcy.”

“No, you did,” Darcy says, shaking her head. “Will you tell me what happened? Everything’s a little foggy.” 

“You were kidnapped by Hydra,” Shelby replies slowly. 

Darcy waves a hand, “I know that part, but what happened after?”

“We made it to a forest and I slipped you a phone, which you used to call the Avengers. You got frightened and fell down a small cliff,” Shelby explains as delicately as she can, her voice soft and reassuring. “We were followed by a Hydra agent and I was able to neutralize him before any real damage was done. I seemed to have passed out from blood loss before we were rescued”

“Oh,” she breathes out. “Thank you.”

Shelby nods and there’s a brief span of awkward silence. Darcy fidgets, plucking at the hospital blanket over her lap, trying to come up with something to say. “What were you doing there in the first place?”

“I was undercover and had been for years,” Shelby responds, not quite meeting her eyes. “I was in too deep to be pulled out so I stayed. Through the fall of SHIELD and everything, I was with Hydra through it all and been moved around so many times I thought I was losing track with who I was and what side I was on. You coming along saved my life.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure what I’m going to do now,” Shelby says, looking out the window. 

“Would you go back to SHIELD?” Darcy questions, curious. 

“It would be the right thing to do. Help take Hydra down from the right side of the line this time.” 

Darcy studies her, the tight lines across her forehead and the bags under her eyes, she looks exhausted. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail and she’s wearing a SHIELD issued sweater, as tacky as it is, and looks uncomfortable with her surroundings. Darcy reaches out with her good hand and gives her hand a squeeze. 

“You should travel, get out of your own head and discover the world,” Darcy says. 

Shelby looks up, brown eyes holding depth to them that Darcy can’t distinguish. “I’ve heard the stories about undercover work fucking you up and messing with your head but I never actually believed it.” She gives Darcy a small smile. “I think you’re right though. If Coulson approves.”

“Coulson’s alive?” Darcy gasps, then rethinks things and laughs. “Wait, I think I knew that!” 

Shelby laughs. “I’ve heard SHIELD is slowly rebuilding, maybe when I come back I’ll help out with that.”

Darcy grows serious for a moment, “focus on you first.”

“And you as well, Darcy. What you went through could not have been easy and everything with Julian and the kidnapping, you need time to heal.” Shelby holds Darcy’s hand in two of her own and offering a small smile. 

“Thanks. Thank you for everything, really. I don’t think I would have made it out without you.”

“Most of it was all you, Darcy.”

“You did most of the ass kicking,” she laughs. Darcy notices the woman growing tired as she lets out a yawn. “I’ll let you get some rest.” 

Shelby nods. “Hopefully, I’ll see you around.”

“Good luck with everything.” Darcy gives her a smile as she gets up from the chair, quietly leaving the room and returning back into her own. 

She lays back in bed, her head resting on the soft pillow and feels her eyes begin to close. One of the things Darcy’s starting to hate about being hurt is that everything is exhausting and all she wants to do is sleep. College Darcy would be very upset with her for wanting to turn down all the naps she’s getting but really all she wants is to go home and be with her daughter. She wants more than anything to be able to walk out of the hospital room and return home, hugging Avery close and never letting her go. 

* * *

Darcy is released from the hospital the next morning and Jane escorts her up to the helipad where Natasha and Clint are waiting with a quinjet. She had said goodbye to Shelby just an hour before, thanking her one last time before the woman disappears from her life. Jane helps her up the ramp of the quinjet, settling her into a seat and attempting to buckle her up. Darcy just swats her hand away.

“I may be injured but I can still buckle myself up,” Darcy snaps and Jane backs off. 

“I’m sorry, Darce,” Jane says, her voice quiet. 

Darcy sighs, “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Jane takes a seat beside Darcy and moments later they’re in the air. Jane distracts her with stories about Avery and little videos Thor has sent her from the past two days of watching her. Her daughter looks happy, smiling and giggling, and appearing unaffected by her mother's’ disappearance. It stings a little but Jane reassures her that she’s been difficult to put down to sleep and generally been fussy. 

They land over an hour later and CLint gives her a big smile as he comes out of the cockpit. “We’ve missed you, Darce.”

Natasha stands by, watching. “Excited to be home?”

“God, yes,” Darcy breathes out, seeing the entrance to the tower and Thor standing just inside the sliding doors with a bundle in his arms. 

Jane is close by her side as she walks across the helipad, briefly looking over her shoulder to see Natasha and Clint hanging back and closing up the quinjet. Darcy picks up her steps as Thor steps outside, Avery catching sight of her and begins to squirm in his arms, reaching out with grabby hands. 

Darcy closes the distance, practically running, and pulls her baby into her arms. Avery cooes in her arms, her little hands grabbing fistfulls of Darcys’ hair and shoving her nose against her neck. Darcy breathes in that sweet baby scent and her heart skips a beat, grows three sizes, and everything feels so right. 

She looks up to see Thor staring down at her with watery eyes. “Hey, big guy.”

Thor smiles, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. “It is good to  have you back, lightening sister.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of her through everything,” Darcy says quietly. There’s a moment where she pictures never returning home but pushes those dangerous thoughts away. She’s home with her daughter in her arms and that’s the only thing that matters.  

“Nonsense, it is our duty to look after our family,” Thor replies. 

Darcy feels a tear fall from her eye, the feeling of love overwhelming when Jane comes up and sandwiches her between herself and Thor. Everything feels right, this is her family and she’s home now. Darcy turns to see Jane wiping away her own tears, smiling watery at Darcy. She hugs Avery a little tighter and allows Thor to guide her back into the tower and into the elevator. 

“Welcome back, Miss Lewis,” JARVIS says, and even though she was only gone for a week she’s missed hearing his voice.

“Thanks, J. You miss me?” 

“Very much so, as has Sir. It has been much too quiet without you.”

The elevator doors open to their floor, Jane opening the door to the apartment and revealing three people waiting inside, standing once they hear them enter. Tony rushes up from his seat on the couch but doesn’t move, just glares at her across the room. “Don’t ever do that to us again,” he demands. 

“Yeah, I’ll try not to get kidnapped by Hydra if I can help it, thanks,” she replies, rolling her eyes. 

Pepper places a hand on his arm, placating him. “It’s good to have you back,” she says, stepping forward and bringing Darcy into a hug. 

When she pulls back, Bruce is standing beside her and she hugs him too. Tony stands back, watching her with a cautious eye. “I’m not gunna break,” she says, holding out her free arm which is covered in her cast. Tony eyes the cast and Darcy rolls her eyes. “I know you missed me.”

Tony laughs, shakes his head, but steps forward anyway and envelopes her in a hug. “I missed your nagging more than anything.”

“I’m sure,” Darcy smiles, pulling back at the three unexpected guests in the apartment. “If you don’t mind, can we save the welcome back party for later? I’m exhausted.”

Disappointment shows in their eyes before masking it up, Pepper nods. “We’ll get out of your hair then. Just let Jarvis know if you need anything and we’ll have it delivered.”

“Thanks, Pepper.” 

Darcy watches the three leave, Pepper practically dragging Tony out by the scruff of his shirt. When the door is closed, Darcy begins to have a mini freakout, realizing s he’s home and the amount of work she has to do. She was kidnapped, goddamnit, and had lost everything. Her phone was gone, her wallet with her credit cards and driver’s license, she had missed over a week of school and midterms were fast approaching. 

She begins to feel panic rise in her chest, looking around frantically. Jane steps forward, a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Just having a mini freakout. I have to email my professors, call in to get new credit cards and a new phone. The doctor wants me to rest but I have too much too do,” Darcy says, feeling the urge to pace. 

“We called your professors when you went missing. They’re able to postpone your midterms for when you’re feeling better and your professors are sending you the notes you missed while you were gone. We’ve also found your wallet and Tony programmed a new Stark phone for you,” Jane supplies, grabbing onto Darcy to keep her from pacing. “You should go rest, Darce.”

“But-”

Thor effectively cuts her off with a look. “All warriors must take time off to heal before they go back and conquer.”

“Fine, you win.”

Jane smiles, “that’s the spirit.”

Darcy lets out a loud sigh but hugs both Jane and Thor tightly, thankful to have them support her and look out for her as they have. She makes her way down the hallway to her quarters, slipping into the nursery. All Darcy wanted was to hold her baby and never let her go for the foreseeable future. So she sat down on the rocking chair, placing Avery in her lap and rocked slowly. 

She runs her hand over the soft hair of her daughter, soaking in every bit of her features. Her heart hurts when Avery looks up at her with eyes so much like her father, a father who she’ll never get to know, but Darcy pushes that thought away for another time. There was so much to process but she needed time. 

Darcy’s just happy to have her baby girl back in her arms again. Avery is all smiles, chewing on the ends of Darcy’s hair. She takes comfort in her daughter, drawing her close to her chest and feeling the heaviness lift off her heart momentarily. 

“It’s just you and me baby girl,” she whispers to Avery, her lips skimming over the top of her hair and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Avery coos in response and Darcy smiles. “We’re gunna be okay.”

* * *

She pulls Jane aside the next day, memories from her time held captive coming back to her. Darcy tells Jane everything about Shawn (or rather Julian), how he was dating Darcy to gather information on Jane’s research and Hydra was working on their own Einstein-Rosen Bridge. She apologized profusely, feeling guilty for letting this man into their life years ago.

Jane holds her tight, letting Darcy cry on her shoulder. “It’s fine, Darcy.”

“But-”

Jane cuts her off with the shake of her head. “It’s all in the past, okay? How were you supposed to know he was Hydra? We didn’t even know about Hydra back then.”

Darcy nods, though her guilt isn’t absolved. “One day I’m going to have to tell Avery about her father, how he wasn’t a very good man.”

“I hate to say this because of all the pain he’s brought you, but maybe this was for the best? I mean it’s terrible she’s going to grow up without a father but could you imagine if he didn’t show himself as Hydra? If he had continued to lie to you and use you, it would have been much worse for her to grow up around such forces,” Jane explains, lowering her gaze. 

“I know,” she breathes out. “I know we’re better off but it still hurts, more for her than me at this point.”

Jane pulls Darcy down onto the bed, so they were lying down and nose to nose. “You have years until the time comes when you’ll have to explain everything. By then maybe the betrayal won’t feel as fresh and we’ll have more answers.”

Darcy nods, hoping Jane was right. They stay curled up together for the rest of the day, neither one mentioning Shawn or Hydra, but focusing on each other and Avery.  

In the following days Jane and Thor don’t leave her side but after a while it starts to get on her nerves. She needs to be doing things on her own again but Thor is always there with Avery in his arms and Jane telling her to go lay down to rest, she’s starting to get restless. By the third day Darcy practically shoves them out the apartment door, telling them to go out for dinner and take a break from caretaker duties. 

She curls up on the couch with Avery, having a hard time lately letting the baby out of her sight, and puts on netflix. There’s a knock and Darcy shouts out to welcome them in, Pepper is her first guest. Darcy pushes herself up on the couch, offering Pepper the other end. The other woman is dressed down, comfy jeans and a cardigan, looking nothing like the CEO she is. 

Avery finds interest in Pepper, scooting to get closer and Darcy lets Pepper take her. Avery settles on Pepper’s lap, happily playing with the buttons on the cardigan, a piece of clothing that just looks expensive, and brings the big button into her mouth to chew on. Pepper trades the button for a stuffed bear that was sitting on the coffee table, Avery easily distracted for the new toy. 

Pepper looks up at Darcy, turning both their attentions away from the baby. “So, how are you feeling?”

Darcy doesn’t really know where to start or how to explain all the emotions in her, so she settles with a simple answer. “I’m fine.”

“I’ve been through something similar, I know you’re not fine,” she says, seeing right through Darcy’s bullshit and cutting right to the chase. “And let me guess you probably haven’t opened up to anyone.”

“I just wanna forget about it,” Darcy mutters, avoiding Pepper’s gaze as she stares down at the fuzzy white blanket over her legs. She looks up, meeting Pepper’s disapproving stare. “I know it’s not healthy, but when I think about what happened I’m reliving it all over again.”

“I know.” Pepper’s voice is surprisingly soft. “It took me months to open up after everything with the mandarin. It’s not healthy to hold everything in and I’m not saying you have to talk to me, but maybe talk to someone when you’re ready.”

Darcy can’t help but reach out for Pepper. She’s full of emotions for the woman who has helped her in more ways than one, and even now talking to her with such kindness and affection that reminds Darcy of her own mother. Tears threaten to fall and Darcy is quick to brush them away but Pepper always notices the finer details and closes the distance between them on the couch, pulling Darcy into a gentle hug with Avery between them.  

“I owe you so much,” Darcy whimpers into Pepper’s hair, smelling the sweet scent of citrus that almost has a calming affect. 

Avery gurgles between them and Pepper pulls back, smiling as she reaches out and brushes the tears away from Darcy’s cheeks. “You don’t owe me a thing.”

“Thank you so much, Pepper, for everything.”

“You’re family, Darcy,” she says simply, squeezing her hand. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and I know Tony feels the same.”

“Where is he by the way?”

“In his shop, he’s working through a few things,” Pepper answers vaguely. She’s quick to change the subject, however, reaching out to a stray piece of Darcy’s hair. “When’s the last time you had a shower?”

Darcy chews on her bottom lip in thought, honestly trying to remember but the past week has been a blur of pain and sleep. “I don’t know.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Darcy spends the afternoon with Pepper. She gets cleaned up, her hair feeling ten times lighter with a wash, even scrubbing her skin clean in hopes of ridding that hospital smell. The headaches are the worst, after refusing pain medication, and rejoices in the quiet and warmth of the shower. When Avery naps, Pepper sits at her bedside and gives her a home manicure. After a few hours with Pepper, Darcy’s feeling like a newer, cleaner version of herself and couldn’t be any more grateful for Pepper Potts being in her life. 

* * *

Darcy passes some days with Clint watching Grey’s Anatomy. She’s seen most of the series and finds comfort in certain episodes and seasons. The day after she gets home she puts on season two starting with the bomb episode and finds the comfort in the angst of the characters. Clint saunters in, always popping up out of nowhere that Darcy is used to it, and sits back with curiosity. They finish season two together and Clint is eager to watch the third, sometimes Jane and Thor join them.  

Darcy’s curled up on the couch, Clint shovelling pudding into his mouth on the other end. Avery was down for a nap so they were getting an episode in without a baby distracting them. “Would you close your mouth? That’s disgusting,” Darcy groans, turning her attention back to the television and away from the disgustingness that is Barton. 

“Why don’t we ever have any pudding in the common room?” 

“We do. You just have to look past the pizza in the fridge,” she remarks, smirking as she peeks over at him and see his jaw drop in shock. 

“Darce, really?”

“Really,” Natasha says, appearing behind them. She steps around the couch, sinking down beside Clint, and snatching the half eaten pudding cup and spoon out of his hand. She plops a spoonful into her mouth before Clint can even react. 

“Aw, Nat, no.” Clint whines, looking up at her life she had just shot him. 

“That’s my pudding cup!” Darcy says. 

Clint turns back to Darcy, “pudding won’t help you heal. You need your vegetables.”

“Fuck, veggies. Pudding has milk in it, plenty healthy and good for the healing.”

Natasha finishes off the pudding, placing the empty cup and spoon on the end table. “How are you feeling, Darcy?”

“I’m good. Aching for some fresh air, Thor and Jane have me on lockdown. Wanna spring me out?” She asks hopefully. 

Natasha cracks a smile, “I don’t think so.”

“I’ll spring you out,” Clint winks. Then flinches, his face scrunching up in pain. “Jesus, Nat.” He looks up at the redhead and they exchange a private look. Clint sighs, offering Darcy a smile. “I’m with Nat. Sorry, Darce.”

“You’re both the worst,” she pouts, letting out a dramatic sigh. 

Natasha shakes her head, “it’s for your protection.”

Darcy waves a hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know it’s not safe out there.” It’s quiet for a moment and Darcy grows serious. “I haven’t thanked you you guys for coming to get me.”

“It was a long five days but we weren’t going to stop looking until we got you back home again,” Natasha says. Darcy reaches out and grabs her hand, smiling at Natasha. “We’re happy we got you home safe.”

The two of them have come a long way and Darcy can’t contain her smile when Natasha picks up Avery after the baby wakes up from her nap. Avery grabs onto Natasha’s hair, tugging it and chewing on it. Clint laughs, tickles Avery, and tugs the baby into his arms. Darcy relaxes onto the couch, watching the two as they bicker, Avery between the two and soaking up all the attention. Her emotions are still a mess, she’s still trying to make sense of things but having friends around seem to lessen the burden. 

* * *

She expects Sam to drop by but doesn’t expect to open up as much as she did. He has a way of pulling words from people and Darcy just wanted to share all her inner struggles that she’s been having since her kidnapping. Sam listens patiently and offers a few words of friendly advice, even giving Darcy a name of psychologist who may be able to help. 

It’s a small breakthrough. He helps her come to terms with herself and emotions. The kidnapping wasn’t her fault, there was no way to know that Shawn was really Julian and Hydra all along. It wasn’t her fault that Julian died. He wasn’t Avery’s father, in the true sense of the word. She still feels the guilt that he never knew he had a daughter, that she never told him before he left or before he died. The ‘what if’s’ and endless stream that she goes through every night. 

After a heavy chat, Sam pulls out a board game from seemingly thin air. They play scrabble for the next hour, an hour filled trading barbs and curses. Sam wins two rounds and Darcy wins one, which she highly suspects Sam let her win. They make tentative plans for a rematch and Sam steps out, leaving Darcy to her own thoughts. She wants to ask where Steve was but couldn’t find it in herself to ask, not wanting to ruin a good thing. 

Bruce pops in from time to time with some tea to help Darcy get to sleep. Sometimes, they talk but more often than not they both read quietly, him his science magazines and Darcy her textbooks. Her professors have been pretty lenient and she gets lectures sent to her and takes notes, trying to make sense of things. Midterms are coming up fast and Darcy’s hoping to get back to school the next week, the last thing she wants is to fall behind a semester. 

Bruce is not much help with legal jargon and tries to make sense of things when she’s confused over a new term or idea, they work through her homework together. Darcy loves the quiet solidarity that Bruce brings on his visits, he doesn’t expect her to open up but would rather sit quietly by her side. He even teaches her to meditate, claiming it might help her heal faster. Darcy is all on board with meditation if it gets her out of the confinements of her apartment faster. 

Tony is a whole different story. When he first visits it’s in a whirlwind, crashing into the apartment with his usually loud and eccentric personality. His eyes are bloodshot and she briefly wonders when he last ate, slept, and how much he had to drink. He looks hysterical, waving his Stark Pad at her. 

“I’ve fixed it!”

Darcy scrunches her nose, blinking against the light he just switched in the living room. She was in the middle of a nap on the couch before he burst into the room, disturbing not only Darcy but Avery. The baby let out a small wail of displeasure. Tony curses quietly under his breath, sending Darcy a wordless apology. He drops the Stark Pad on the coffee table in favour of picking up the baby out of her pack ‘n play.

All is forgotten as Tony walks around the room gently bouncing the baby in his arms. “What do you want, Stark?”

“I brought you something,” he explains, nodding down at the Stark Pad. 

Darcy picks it up, the screen already on and showing a program already in use. It’s not just any program, it’s the one she had developed months ago, the one that Tony helped to fine tune, which is now transformed into something new altogether. She works through the prototype, the amount of work Tony has done is astonishing. 

“Is this what I think it is?”

He nods, sitting down. “Gunna use it to track down every single Hydra agent.”

“Tony-”

“They’ve done enough damage, don’t you think? I don’t want anyone else I care about to get hurt,” he says, sitting down on the empty chair, rearranging Avery so her cheek is pressed against his chest where the arc-reactor once sat. 

“This could cause a lot of damage if it falls into the wrong hands. The amount of information on this things, the fact that it can tap into any electronic device.”

“It won’t. Steve’ll make sure of it,” he tells her, already reaching out for the Stark Pad and taking it out of her hands. 

“Steve?”

“He hasn’t come by to tell you yet?”

“Tell me what?” She questions, confused and disoriented. What does this program have to do with Steve? 

“I should let him give you the details. He’s been occupied by Hill and Coulson the past few days ironing out the details. Probably doesn’t want to bother when things are still half baked,” Tony replies. 

Darcy hums, trying to understand. Avery lets out a sigh and the attention is drawn to her, the tension draining out of the room. Tony groans, pulling the baby away from him as his face scrunches up in disgust. Darcy laughs, reaching for the baby. Tony hands her over so fast, he doesn’t even say goodbye as he rushes out of the room.   
  


* * *

Darcy can’t sleep. 

It’s been close to a week since she’s returned home and as much as she’s processed, she’s still feeling unsettled. She tried meditating and Bruce’s sleepy tea but just ends up tossing and turning for hours. In the early hours she gives up, her thoughts continuing to run wild and she can’t stop thinking what Tony had said the day before. 

Darcy hasn’t seen Steve yet. She knows he’s busy and doesn’t want to intrude but she’s honestly going a little crazy, coming up with all sorts of possibilities why he won’t talk to her. It hurts because she thought there was something there between them, something growing, and it wasn’t just friendship. Instead, he’s avoiding her and she wants to know why. 

So in a fit of rage, Darcy rolls out of bed. She grabs the baby monitor and tosses it to Thor on her way out the door, he just happened to be still awake watching TV in the livingroom. “I’ll be right back,” she tells him, knowing he’ll be up until Jane returns from the lab and Avery is down for the count. 

Darcy rides the elevator and strides out purposefully when it reaches her destination, knocking loudly on the door. She momentarily realizes the time and feels guilty but she’s seeking answers here, she’s on a mission and doesn’t care about the time. Darcy’s prepared for a full on rant but gets a nice surprise when the door is pulled open revealing Bucky. 

“Shit,” she curses, placing her hand over her racing heart. Not the person she was expecting. 

“Steve’s not here,” he says, knowing exactly what she came for. 

Darcy looks up into the eyes of Bucky Barnes. “I was hoping to talk to him.”

“He’s out,” he supplies, keeping his sentences short. 

She feels uncomfortable under his intense gaze. The light from the hallway is low and she can just make out his blue eyes sizing her up. “He’s been out a lot, hasn’t he?”

Bucky nods, steps away from the door allowing her to step inside. She realizes this is the first time they have talked since she tazed him and is slightly surprised by the next words out of her mouth. “I’m sorry for tasing you.”

They stand awkwardly in the entryway of Steve’s apartment, the kitchen light casting a low glow over them. Darcy takes a moment to size him up. From his ratty henley shirt with his metal hand peeking out from the sleeve. The way his shaggy hair falls into his face when he looks down and the scruff that lines his jaw. He looks torn up, like he’d been dragged through hell and back, but he looks like he’s surviving and recovering from years of trauma. 

“I’m sorry for getting you kidnapped,” he replies, avoiding eye contact as he looks down at the ground.

“Wasn’t your fault.”

“They wanted me.”

Darcy shrugs a shoulder. “Shit happens.” Bucky looks up, looking gut wrenchingly guilty as if he is to blame for everything. “Did they tell you it was my ex who kidnapped me?”

He shakes his head no. 

“Hydra had plans for me long before you came along.” She gives him a small smile. “I don’t blame you and I don’t blame him either. Hydra is the only one to blame here.”

Bucky grows quiet again, looking off into the kitchen.  

“What are you doing up?” Darcy questions, knowing it’s been at least three weeks since she brought him in. 

“Can’t sleep.”

“Same here.” Bucky doesn’t say anything in reply and there’s a long pause. She takes that as her cue. “Will you tell him I stopped by?”

Bucky nods, moving to the door and pulling it open for her. “Don’t know you much but ‘m glad you’re safe.”

Darcy gives him a small smile. “Thanks. And I know you guys are up to something, at least have Steve drop by before he takes off again.” 

He ducks his head, a half nod, and Darcy slips out of the apartment quietly. It wasn’t the conversation she was expecting to have but it felt just as right. She’s still left with her thoughts and when she returns to the apartment, less angry than when she left, she curls up with Thor and watches a movie. He doesn’t ask her what’s wrong, instead leaving her with her thoughts. 

* * *

Darcy is trying to get everything packed up, running around the apartment like a chicken with her head cut off. It’s her first day back at school and she was trying to pack her bag and Avery’s bag for daycare and it seemed like everything had been misplaced. Avery sat in the middle of the living room playing with her toys, giggling when Darcy rushed past her again muttering to herself. 

There’s a knock on the door and Darcy pauses her mini freakout, looking down at Avery then over to the front door. “Come in!” She yells, resuming her task of trying to shove everything needed into the diaper bag. 

“Darcy.”

She looks up, locking eyes with Steve. Momentarily she thinks it’s a dream or something equally creepy because she hasn’t seen him in two weeks, since before she was kidnapped, and he’s finally standing in front of her within reach. Really, all Darcy wants is a hug and explanations. Instead, she straightens and offers him a small smile. 

“Hey.”

“Can we talk?” He questions, his jaw clenched and eyes hard. 

Darcy nods, waving a hand to the couch. “Have a seat.”

Steve rounds the couch, taking a seat, and Darcy sits down beside him ensuring to keep a foot of space between them. She felt unsure in his presence, remembering how close they were before the kidnapping, but now feeling like there was an ocean between them. Her heart thudding in her chest and she waited for the other shoe to drop and for him to pull the rug out from under her feet. 

“You look good, Darcy.”

“A week of house arrest and endless amounts of naps will do that,” she remarks, a bite to her tone. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come around after you got home,” he says, trying to make her feel better. 

Darcy shrugs. “It’s fine. I didn’t expect you to come around anyway.”

He frowns. “That’s a lie.” Steve lets out a sigh, glancing down at his hands. “The week you were gone was on everyone and finding you at the bottom of that cliff put a lot of things into perspective for me.”

“Like what?”

“How much I care about you. How I’m tired of people getting hurt because of me. How being Captain America is the biggest blessing and curse on my life. I’m not willing to lose anyone else, not if I can stop it.”

Darcy thinks she knows where he’s going with this and doesn’t like the sound of what he’s suggesting. “Steve-”

“I’m leaving.”

“What?”

He reaches out, taking her hand from her lap and holding it in both of his. “Tony has been working on your program you created to help find Bucky. We’re going to use it to hunt down Hydra.”

Darcy knew this was coming but it’s just as much a shock hearing it from Steve first hand. “Why?”

“Because I’m tired of them hurting those I care most about. First Bucky and now you.” He leans forward, his hand reaching up and cupping her chin. “I want to be with you, Darcy, but I can’t until Hydra is gone. I’m not going to put a target on your back, or Avery’s.”

“Steve,” she whispers, not quite knowing what to say. 

“I need to do this, Darcy.”

“I’m not going to stop you.” She leans forward, closing the distance between them until their foreheads touch. “Be careful, okay?” 

“I will.” He pulls back and places a kiss on her forehead. 

Darcy watches as he says goodbye to Avery, picking her up off the ground and giving her a tight hug. Avery doesn’t know any different and pats Steve’s head, grabbing a fistful of hair. Darcy stands, taking her daughter from him. She walks him to the door and it feels oddly like a goodbye and her heart is hurting at the thought. 

“Bucky and Sam are coming with me so I’m not alone,” he supplies. 

“Good,” she smiles. “Hopefully they’ll be able to keep you out of trouble.”

“Not likely,” he smirks, effectively lightening the mood. 

Darcy gives him one last hug, pulling him into her and squeezing his neck tightly. She doesn’t want to let him go but she forces her grip to loosen and step back. “Don’t forget to call, alright?”

“I promise.”

Darcy watches him leave and as he’s waiting at the elevator he looks over his shoulder and smiles. “I’ll be back before you know it.”  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what'd you think? any thoughts/feelings on this chapter you'd like to express?


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